THE   AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI 


TOMMASO    SALVINI    AT    THE    AGE   OF   TWENTY-NINE. 


LEAVES  FROM  THE 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 


TOMMASO  SALVINI 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1893 


Copyright,  1892,  1893,  by 
THE  CENTURY  Co. 


THE  DEVINNE  PRESS. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


TOMMASO    SALVINI    AT    THE    AGE    OF    TWENTY- 
NINE Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

GUSTAVO  MODENA 16 

RISTORI  AS  "  MARY  STUART  " 48 

SALVINI    AS    "  ICILIO  "    IN    THE    "  VIRGINIE  "    OF 

ALFIERI 80 

RACHEL  AS  "PHEDRE" 112 

FRANCESCO  LOMBARDI 144 

CLEMENTINA  CAZZOLA 176 

SALVINI    AS    "  OROSMANE  "   IN    THE    "  ZAIRE  "    OF 

VOLTAIRE  .  208 


93560 


LEAVES    FROM 

THE   AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

TOMMASO    SALVINI 

RECOLLECTIONS    OF    MY    YOUTH 

WHEN  I  was  a  little  boy  I  ran  away 
from  home  because  of  some  fancied 
harshness,  and  three  days  later  was  found  in 
a  distant  city  and  brought  back  by  our  old 
family  servant.  My  father's  bearing  toward 
me  after  this  escapade  made  a  profound  im- 
pression on  me ;  for,  instead  of  punishing  me 
severely,  he  chose  to  pass'  my  misdeed  by 
in  absolute  silence.  His  kindness  caused  a 
complete  change  in  my  boyish  character,  and 
I  resolved  to  be  a  source  of  trouble  to  him 
no  more,  but  to  seek  in  every  way  to  gain 
his  esteem  and  love.  I  remained  with  him 
a  year  after  this,  and  I  have  the  satisfaction 
of  feeling  that  during  that  year  I  was  scru- 
pulously obedient  and  attentive  to  my  duties. 


2  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

My  father  saw  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  my  brother  and  me  to  make  serious 
progress  in  our  studies  in  the  midst  of  the 
nomadic  life  that  we  were  leading  with  his  the- 
atrical company,  and  he  determined  to  place 
us  at  Florence  with  our  uncle  and  aunt,  and 
to  send  me  to  the  Law  School,  and  my 
brother  to  the  School  of  Fine  Arts.  It  was 
my  father's  wish  that  I  should  be  a  lawyer, 
and  my  brother  a  painter.  Our  uncle  and 
aunt  lived  in  the  Via  Romana,  near  the  gate 
of  the  Boboli  Gardens,  and  it  was  not  pleas- 
ant, especially  in  winter,  to  walk  on  every 
work-day  quite  across  the  city  from  the  Via 
Romana  to  the  Via  Martelli,  and  to  the  end 
of  the  Via  del  Cocomero  (now  Via  Ricasoli). 
Our  uncle  walked  with  us,  and  from  habit 
took  steps  of  such  great  length  and  velocity 
that  we  trotted  after  him,  panting.  Occasion- 
ally, however,  on  account  of  indisposition  or 
business,  he  had  to  let  us  go  alone,  and  then 
we  used  to  take  our  revenge.  We  would 
walk  at  our  ease,  and  stop  on  the  Ponte  Vec- 
chio  to  admire  the  goldsmiths'  and  jewelers' 
shops.  I  won't  say  that  the  pastry-cooks' 
shops  did  n't  attract  us  too. 

When  ten  years  old  I  felt  no  leaning  to- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI       3 

ward  any  vocation.  My  father's  will  was 
mine ;  and  I  do  not  remember  feeling  distaste 
for  any  task  that  was  given  me.  Whatever 
was  marked  out  for  me  to  study,  it  was  all  the 
same  to  me :  history  interested  me,  grammar 
attracted  me,  in  arithmetic  I  found  pleasure, 
geography  amused  me,  and  as  to  penmanship 
and  spelling,  I  had  a  real  passion  for  them. 
Three  years  later  I  was  just  beginning  Latin 
when  my  father  came  to  Florence  to  play  for 
an  entire  season.  During  those  three  years, 
however,  my  uncle  had  often  taken  me  to  my 
father  in  vacation-time,  particularly  if  he  hap- 
pened to  be  in  a  place  not  far  from  Florence. 
Upon  these  occasions  we  would  see  him  play 
in  the  evening,  which  was  to  us  a  source  of 
unmeasured  enjoyment.  I  took  especial  de- 
light in  dramas  and  tragedies.  When  the 
company  gave  a  comic  piece,  I  used  to  ask 
my  father  to  let  me  go  to  bed. 

During  one  of  my  vacations,  I  went  alone 
with  my  father  to  Milan,  my  brother  being  ill 
with  measles,  and  I  had  the  good  fortune  to 
see  a  piece  played  by  that  wonderful  artist 
Luigi  Vestri.  The  play  was  a  translation 
from  the  French  entitled  "  Malvina,"  and  for 
the  first  time  I  learned  that  one  can  cry  and 


4  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

laugh  at  the  same  time.  Vestri,  who  had 
been  endowed  by  Nature  with  all  that  she 
can  grant  to  a  dramatic  artist,  made  so  strong 
an  impression  on  my  boyish  imagination,  that 
when  my  father  presented  me  to  him  the  next 
day  I  stared  at  him  as  if  under  a  spell,  and 
was  unable  to  utter  a  word.  I  fancied  that  I 
was  in  the  presence  of  a  divinity.  He  patted 
my  face  kindly,  and  I  felt  a  wave  of  delight 
rush  through  my  veins. 

About  this  time  a  disaster  befell  my  poor 
father's  household.  His  second  wife,  whom 
in  our  short  visits  we  had  hardly  learned  to 
know,  unmindful  of  the  sacrifices  which  her 
husband  had  made  for  her,  ungratefully  aban- 
doned him.  He  was  so  deeply  affected  that 
only  the  thought  of  his  sons  restrained  him 
from  suicide.  For  several  months  he  gave 
himself  up  to  grief,  and  to  projects  of  ven- 
geance which  his  good  sense  and  dignity 
caused  to  come  to  naught ;  and  it  was  after 
this  that  he  came  to  Florence  for  a  season, 
as  I  have  said.  I  was  then  thirteen  years 
old ;  but,  strange  to  say,  I  looked  fully  seven- 
teen. So  precocious  was  my  development 
that  not  only  was  I  a  head  taller  than  the 
tallest  of  the  boys  of  my  age,  but  my  whole 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI       5 

figure  was  in  proportion,  and  I  needed  only 
a  little  hair  on  my  face  to  have  the  presence 
of  a  young  man  of  twenty.  When  my  father 
caught  sight  of  me,  he  exclaimed : 

"My  goodness!  what  are  you  going  to 
grow  up  to  be  ?  The  giant  Goliath  ? " 

"  No,  father,"  I  answered  ;  "  I  prefer  to  be 
David,  who  killed  him." 

"Well,  you  shall  come  with  me,"  said  he, 
"  and  I  will  be  your  Saul  in  his  good  mo- 
ments. If  you  can't  play  the  harp  to  charm 
away  the  grief  of  my  soul,  you  can  talk  to  me, 
and  the  sound  of  your  voice  will  soothe  me." 

Accordingly,  when,  after  the  carnival  season 
in  Florence,  my  father  joined  the  Bon  and 
Berlaffa  Company  as  leading  actor,  he  took 
me  with  him,  leaving  my  brother  to  his  course 
at  the  Fine  Arts. 

THE  AUTHOR'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE 

THE  Bon  and  Berlaffa  Company  alternated 
in  its  repertory  between  the  comedies  of  Gol- 
doni  and  the  tragedies  of  Alfieri. 

One  evening  the  "Donne  Curiose"  by  Gol- 
doni  was  to  be  given,  but  the  actor  who  was 
to  take  the  harlequin's  part,  represented  in 


6  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

that  piece  by  a  stupid  slave  called  Pasquino, 
fell  sick  a  few  hours  before  the  curtain  was  to 
rise.  The  company  had  been  together  for  a 
few  days  only,  and  it  was  out  of  the  question 
to  substitute  another  play.  It  had  been  de- 
cided to  close  the  theater  for  that  night,  when 
Berlaffa  asked : 

"Why  could  n't  your  Tom  take  the  part?" 

My  father  said  that  there  was  no  reason 
why  he  should  n't,  but  that  Tom  had  never 
appeared  in  public,  and  he  did  n't  know 
whether  he  had  the  courage. 

The  proposition  was  made  to  me,  and  I  ac- 
cepted on  the  spot,  influenced  to  no  little  ex- 
tent by  a  desire  to  please  the  managers,  who 
in  my  eyes  were  people  of  great  importance. 
Within  three  hours,  with  my  iron  memory,  I 
had  easily  mastered  my  little  part  of  Pas- 
quino,  and,  putting  on  the  costume  of  the 
actor  who  had  fallen  ill,  I  found  myself  a  full- 
fledged  if  a  new  performer.  I  was  to  speak 
in  the  Venetian  dialect;  that  was  inconvenient 
for  me  rather  than  difficult,  but  at  Forte, 
where  we  were,  any  slip  of  pronunciation 
would  hardly  be  observed. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  I  was  to  go  on 
the  stage  behind  the  dazzling  footlights,  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI        7 

first  time  that  I  was  to  speak  in  an  unac- 
customed dialect,  dressed  up  in  ridiculous 
clothes  which  were  not  my  own;  and  I  con- 
fess that  I  was  so  much  frightened  that  I 
was  tempted  to  run  back  to  my  dressing- 
room,  to  take  off  my  costume,  and  to  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  the  play.  But  my 
father,  who  was  aware  of  my  submissive  dis- 
position toward  him,  with  a  few  words  kept 
me  at  my  post. 

"For  shame!"  said  he;  "a  man  has  no  right 
to  be  afraid."  A  man!  I  was  scarce  fourteen, 
yet  I  aspired  to  that  title. 

The  conscript  who  is  for  the  first  time  un- 
der fire  feels  a  sense  of  fear.  Nevertheless, 
if  he  has  the  pride  of  his  sex,  and  the  dignity 
of  one  who  appreciates  his  duty,  he  stands 
firm,  though  it  be  against  his  will.  So  it  was 
with  me  when  I  began  my  part.  When  I 
perceived  that  some  of  Pasquinds  lines  were 
amusing  the  audience,  I  took  courage,  and, 
like  a  little  bird  making  its  first  flight,  I  ar- 
rived at  the  goal,  and  was  eager  to  try  again. 
As  it  turned  out,  my  actor's  malady  grew 
worse,  so  that  he  was  forced  to  leave  the  com- 
pany, and  I  was  chosen  to  take  his  place. 

I  must  have  had  considerable  aptitude  for 


8  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

such  comic  parts  as  those  of  stupid  servants, 
for  everywhere  that  we  went  I  became  the 
public's  Benjamin.  I  made  the  people  laugh, 
and  they  asked  for  nothing  better.  All  were 
surprised  that,  young  and  inexperienced  as 
I  was,  I  should  have  so  much  cleverness  of 
manner  and  such  sureness  of  delivery.  My 
father  was  more  surprised  than  anybody,  for 
he  had  expected  far  less  of  my  immaturity 
and  total  lack  of  practice.  It  is  certain  that 
from  that  time  I  began  to  feel  that  I  was 
somebody.  I  had  become  useful,  or  at  least 
I  thought  I  had,  and,  as  a  consequence,  in 
my  manner  and  bearing  I  began  to  affect  the 
young  man  more  than  was  fitting  in  a  mere 
boy.  I  sought  to  figure  in  the  conversation 
of  grown  people,  and  many  a  time  I  had  the 
pain  of  seeing  my  elders  smile  at  my  remarks. 
It  was  my  great  ambition  to  be  allowed  to 
walk  alone  in  the  city  streets ;  my  father  was 
very  loath  to  grant  this  boon,  but  he  let  me 
go  sometimes,  perhaps  to  get  a  sample  of  my 
conduct.  I  don't  remember  ever  doing  any- 
thing at  these  times  which  could  have  dis- 
pleased him ;  I  was  particularly  careful  about 
it,  since  I  saw  him  sad,  pensive,  and  afflicted 
owing  to  the  misfortune  which  had  befallen 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI        9 

him,  and  soon  he  began  to  accord  me  his  con- 
fidence, which  I  was  most  anxious  to  gain. 


A    FATHERS    ADVICE 

OFTEN  he  spoke  to  me  of  the  principles  of 
dramatic  art,  and  of  the  mission  of  the  artist. 
He  told  me  that  to  have  the  right  to  call 
one's  self  an  artist  one  must  add  honest  work 
to  talent,  and  he  put  before  me  the  example 
of  certain  actors  who  had  risen  to  fame,  but 
who  were  repulsed  by  society  on  account  of 
the  triviality  of  their  conduct ;  of  others  who 
were  brought  by  dissipation  to  die  in  a  hos- 
pital, blamed  by  all ;  and  of  still  others  who 
had  fallen  so  low  as  to  hold  out  their  hands 
for  alms,  or  to  sponge  on  their  comrades  and 
to  cozen  them  out  of  their  money  for  un- 
merited subscriptions  —  all  of  which  things 
moved  me  to  horror  and  deep  repugnance. 
It  was  with  good  reason  that  my  father  was 
called  "  Honest  Beppo"  by  his  fellows  on  the 
stage.  The  incorruptibility  and  firmness  of 
principle  which  he  cultivated  in  me  from  the 
time  that  I  grew  old  enough  to  understand 
have  been  my  spur  and  guide  throughout  my 
career,  and  it  is  through  no  merit  of  my  own 


io  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

that  I  can  count  myself  among  those  who 
have  won  the  esteem  of  society ;  I  attribute 
all  the  merit  to  my  father.  He  was  consci- 
entious and  honest  to  a  scruple ;  so  much  so 
that  of  his  own  free  will  he  sacrificed  the 
natural  pride  of  the  dramatic  artist,  and  re- 
nounced the  well-earned  honor  of  first  place 
in  his  company  to  take  second  place  with 
Gustavo  Modena,  whose  artistic  merit  he 
recognized  as  superior  to  his  own,  in  order 
that  I  might  profit  by  the  instruction  of  that 
admirable  actor  and  sterling  citizen.  My 
father  preferred  his  son's  advantage  to  his 
own  personal  profit. 

SALVINI  JOINS  MODENA'S  COMPANY 

IN  Lent  of  the  year  1843,  m  tne  city  °f 
Padua,  we  joined  Modena's  company,  which 
was  made  up  almost  entirely  of  players  of 
less  than  twenty  years.  Now,  to  be  exact,  I 
shall  have  to  say  that  in  the  contract  between 
my  father  and  Gustavo  Modena  I  figured  as 
the  bone  that  is  thrown  in  for  good  measure ; 
I  was  to  have  no  salary,  but  was  bound  to  do 
whatever  was  assigned  to  me  by  the  director, 
including  appearance  as  a  " super"  in  case  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI      u 

necessity.  This  was  humiliating,  after  my 
little  triumphs  as  Pasquino  the  year  before; 
but  my  father  soothed  my  susceptibility  by  tell- 
ing me  that  all  were  subjected  to  the  same 
condition,  which  was  true.  I  remembered 
then  that  egoistical  proverb,  "  An  evil  shared 
is  half  a  joy,"  and  my  spirits  went  up  a  little. 
My  apprehensions  vanished  entirely  when  my 
father  said  to  me  that  the  time  had  now  come 
to  devote  myself  seriously  to  the  study  of  my 
profession  ;  that  in  future  I  must  exert  myself, 
and  that  it  was  only  right  that  the  sacrifice  he 
had  made  should  be  compensated  by  my  good 
will  and  application ;  and  that  I  should  never 
have  a  better  chance,  since  the  rudiments  and 
the  best  example  of  the  drama  would  be 
exhibited  to  me  by  the  most  distinguished 
artist  of  Italy. 

I  kissed  him,  and  said,  "  Papa,  I  will  do  the 
best  I  can."  The  next  day  we  went  to  the 
theater  to  receive  our  instructions  from  the 
director. 

FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF    THE    GREAT    MODENA 

To  be  frank,  my  first  impression  of  my 
future  master  was  not  wholly  favorable.  He 


I2  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

looked  to  me  more  like  a  drover  than  an  actor. 
He  was  fat  and  flabby,  his  nose  was  sunk  be- 
tween his  cheeks,  his  walk  was  heavy,  and  his 
legs  had  the  appearance  of  elephantiasis. 
Nevertheless,  his  white  and  beautifully  formed 
hand,  his  vivacious,  intelligent,  and  kind  eye, 
won  my  sympathy  on  the  spot.  His  voice, 
though  nasal,  was  sonorous,  and  seemed  to 
issue  not  from  his  lips,  but  from  his  ears  or  his 
eyes,  or  rather  from  his  wide-open  nostrils. 
As  soon  as'Modena  perceived  my  father,  who 
in  comparison  with  him  looked  like  a  lord, 
they  squeezed  each  other's  hands  and  em- 
braced; then  Modena  turned  to  me  and  ex- 
claimed (as  was  his  habit)  in  his  native  dialect: 
"Oh,  what  a  good  David!  Well,  my  lad,  is 
your  mind  made  up  to  study  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Signer  Maestro,"  said  I. 

"  No,  no,"  he  said ;  "  call  me  Gustavo ;  that 
is  better.  And  what  have  you  been  studying? " 

"  Harlequin  parts,  Signer  Gustavo,"  said  I. 

"Good!"  he  said;  "now  you  shall  study 
this  speech,  and  when  you  know  it  you  shall 
say  it  to  me,  putting  into  it  all  your  intelli- 
gence and  all  your  soul."  It  was  the  speech 
of  Egisto  to  Polifonte  in  Alfieri's  tragedy  of 
"  Merope  "  ;  and  the  same  speech  had  been 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI      13 

given  before  me  to  every  new  member  of  the 
company  as  a  test  of  his  vocation  for  tragedy. 
The  stage  gradually  filled  up  with  others  of 
the  company,  who  were  to  rehearse  "La  Ca- 
lomnie"  of  Scribe,  in  which  neither  my  father 
nor  I  was  to  appear. 

While  the  rehearsal  was  in  progress,  and  my 
father  was  making  the  acquaintance  of  the 
other  artists,  Modena  turned  to  me  and  said, 
"  In  this  comedy  you  shall  do  the  little  Moor 
for  me."  I  fancied  that  the  little  Moor  was  a 
part.  Alas !  he  was  merely  a  lay  figure,  de- 
vised to  garnish  the  stage  by  the  Signora 
Giulia,  Modena's  wife.  I  was  directed  to 
blacken  my  face,  and  to  get  myself  up  in 
Oriental  costume  to  figure  as  the  attendant 
of  one  of  the  personages  of  the  play.  This 
first  assignment  did  not  encourage  me  at  all, 
and  my  father,  seeing  my  disappointment, 
whispered  in  my  ear,  "Never  mind;  only 
study,  and  you  will  have  no  more  'super' 
work  to  do."  The  following  day  I  was  the 
only  one  who  knew  Egistds  speech  perfectly 
by  heart,  and  I  repeated  it  to  my  father,  who 
corrected  me,  and  showed  me  the  most  salient 
points,  and  finally  encouraged  me  by  saying, 
"There,  you  have  it  well  enough." 


I4  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

The  moment  of  trial  came,  and  by  good 
luck  neither  my  gestures,  nor  my  voice,  nor 
my  expression  betrayed  the  violent  palpita- 
tions due  to  my  emotion.  When  I  got  through, 
Modena  exclaimed :  "  You  have  some  founda- 
tion !  you  '11  make  a  man  for  me ! "  and  with 
this  were  assigned  to  me  the  parts  of  Mas 'ham 
in  Scribe's  "  Un  Verre  d'Eau";  of  Perez, 
Fillppo,  and  Gionata,  in  Alfieri's  "Saul";  of 
Massimiliano  Piccolomini  in  Schiller's  "  Wal- 
lenstein  "  ;  of  Pietro  Tasca  in  the  "Fornaretto" 
of  F.  Ball'  Ongaro ;  of  the  Lover  in  Man- 
zoni's  tragedy  "  Adelchi,"  and  of  the  lovers  in 
such  plays  as  my  father  should  give  on  Mo- 
dena's  off-nights.  Since  I  appeared  every 
night,  the  "super"  business  troubled  me  no 
more.  My  father  had  to  provide  my  costumes 
for  all  these  parts,  which  was  no  light  expense; 
but  he  supported  the  burden  willingly,  since 
he  saw  the  lighting  of  a  fair  dawn  in  the  morn- 
ing of  my  career.  In  order  to  master  so  many 
parts  in  the  shortest  possible  time,  I  had  to 
sacrifice  many  hours  of  sleep.  Toward  the  end 
of  the  season,  I  could  have  slept  on  a  couch 
of  thorns ;  and  often  when  my  father  and  I 
were  returning  home  after  supper,  and  he,  be- 
coming interested  in  some  discussion  with  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI      15 

friend,  ceased  to  attend  to  me,  my  eyes  would 
close,  and  at  .the  first  corner  I  would  lean  my 
head  against  the  wall  and  fall  quietly  asleep 
on  my  feet.  My  father,  noticing  that  I  was 
gone,  would  turn  back  and  take  me  by  the 
arm,  and  when  we  reached  home  would  lay 
me  down  on  my  bed  ;  and  the  next  morning  I 
would  wake  up  and  would  not  know  how  I 
got  there  !  What  an  admirable  age  youth  is  ! 
It  supports  without  complaining  the  incon- 
veniences of  life,  and  adapts  itself  gladly  to 
every  hard  condition,  if  only  it  is  spurred  on 
by  ambition.  And  at  fifteen  everything  looks 
rose-colored. 

My  rose  was  destined  soon  to  change  to 
black.  At  the  end  of  the  year  of  my  novitiate, 
in  Lent  of  1844,  my  father  fell  ill  at  Palma 
Nuova.  Just  at  that  time  I  was  burdened 
more  than  ever  with  study,  as  Carlo  Roma- 
gnoli  had  left  the  company,  and  all  the  parts 
which  had  been  given  to  him  the  year  before 
were  transferred  to  me  in  addition  to  my  own, 
among  them  David  in  "Saul,"  Nemours  in 
"Louis  XL,"  Luciano  in  "La  Calomnie." 
The  doctor  pronounced  my  father's  malady 
an  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  and  prescribed 
frequent  baths  with  bran.  In  our  house  the 


16  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

only  source  of  water  was  a  very  deep  well, 
and  it  became  my  duty  to  draw  water  to  fill 
the  tub.  It  was  a  serious  fatigue ;  but  because 
of  the  purpose  of  the  task,  and  perhaps  a  little 
because  the  muscles  of  my  arms  began  to 
show  a  prodigious  development  from  the  con- 
stant exercise,  I  was  never  willing  to  sur- 
render the  charge  to  others,  and  performed  it 
regularly  for  twenty-three  days.  The  com- 
pany was  then  about  to  finish  its  engagement 
at  Palma  Nuova,  and  my  father  summoned 
me  to  his  bedside  and  told  me  that  I  must  go 
on  to  Cremona  with  the  director,  who  would 
be  hampered  without  me.  He  said  that  as 
soon  as  he  was  well  enough  he  would  follow, 
but  in  the  mean  time  it  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion to  put  that  excellent  man,  our  director, 
to  loss  by  depriving  him  of  one  of  the  most 
important  men  of  his  company.  I  opposed 
this  decision  with  energy,  but  I  was  compelled 
to  yield  to  my  father's  repeated  commands. 
I  left  him  in  charge  of  the  people  of  the  house, 
and  engaged  a  man  besides  to  nurse  him,  and 
I  took  my  leave  of  him  with  tears  and  kisses. 
I  felt  myself  sadly  alone  without  my  father's 
accustomed  guidance.  It  is  true  that  he  had 
become  still  more  grave,  and  was  even  in- 


GUSTAVO    MODENA. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI      17 

clined  to  misanthropy;  but  frequently  he 
would  forget  his  troubles  in  reading  to  me 
some  extracts  from  a  play  he  was  writing ;  or 
in  declaiming  a  bit  of  Metastasio,  his  favorite 
author ;  or  in  talking  to  me  of  my  poor  dead 
mother,  whom  I  never  knew,  since  she  died 
when  I  was  two  years  old ;  or  of  my  brother, 
who  was  pursuing  his  studies,  or  my  aunt  and 
uncle,  who  lived  in  Florence.  One  evening 
at  Venice,  as  we  were  passing  in  our  gondola 
before  the  illuminated  Piazzetta  di  San  Marco, 
he  embraced  me  with  silent  but  profound  ex- 
pression of  tenderness,  and  after  a  little  he 
said: 

"  Do  you  see  that  lamp  burning  there  be- 
fore that  image  ?  That  flame  commemorates 
the  unpardonable  mistake  of  the  sentence  of 
poor  Fornaretto,  whose  part  you  play;  and 
that  light  will  not  be  extinguished  so  long  as 
man  is  capable  of  calling  himself  infallible." 

In  my  ingenuousness  and  ignorance  I  asked, 
"  Papa,  how  long  will  that  be  ?  " 

He  smiled,  and  said:  "Ah,  my  son,  that 
lamp  will  burn  on  forever."  I  felt  something 
like  a  weight  in  my  soul,  and  that  answer  was 
perhaps  the  inception  in  me  of  the  first  germs 
of  distrust  in  my  fellow-men. 


1 8  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

A    GREAT    AFFLICTION 

MY  father  wrote  to  me  from  his  sick-bed  at 
Palma  Nuova,  exhorting  me  to  behave  well, 
to  be  studious,  and  to  be  loyal  to  the  wishes 
of  the  director.  But  I  noticed  that  with  every 
letter  his  beautiful  handwriting  was  growing 
less  firm  and  even,  and  I  began  to  fear  that 
he  was  becoming  much  worse.  I  begged 
Gustavo  Modena  for  permission  to  visit  him, 
but  he  refused  me  absolutely.  After  a  few 
days  I  went  to  him  again,  and  repeated  my 
request  in  a  tone  of  supplication.  With  a 
kinder  manner  than  before  he  explained  to 
me  in  what  a  dilemma  I  should  put  him  if  I 
were  to  go,  as  it  was  entirely  impossible  for 
him  to  find  understudies  for  my  parts ;  he 
said  that  he  should  have  to  close  the  theater, 
which  would  be  at  once  a  dishonor  to  him  and 
a  very  serious  loss ;  and  he  assured  me  that 
he  had  had  direct  news  from  his  friend  Beppo, 
as  he  called  my  father,  and  that  he  was  de- 
cidedly better,  and  would  soon  be  able  to  re- 
join us.  These  were  fair  words,  but  they  did 
not  reassure  me,  for  no  more  letters  came 
from  my  father.  One  morning,  without  say- 
ing anything  more  to  Modena,  I  went  to  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI      19 

police-bureau  to  reclaim  my  traveling-permit, 
which  had  been  issued  in  my  name  when  I 
was  separated  from  my  father;  but  the  Aus- 
trian official  refused  to  surrender  it  without 
the  consent  of  the  director  of  my  company. 
I  hurried,  beside  myself,  to  Modena,  and 
said : 

"  Maestro,  I  get  no  more  letters  from  my 
father,  and  I  have  no  news  of  him.  I  fear  that 
something  is  wrong.  Now  you  will  either 
give  me  permission  to  go.  to  Palma  Nuova,  or 
I  will  start  out  on  foot  and  take  the  risk  of 
being  arrested." 

Modena  answered  very  dryly :  "What  do 
you  want  to  go  there  for?  Your  father  is 
dead." 

May  God  pardon  him  the  pain  he  gave  me 
at  that  moment,  in  return  for  all  the  kindness 
I  had  from  him  at  other  times!  He  should 
not  be  judged  too  harshly  ;  he  was  tormented 
by  my  persistence,  and  the  obstinacy  of  my 
determination,  and  by  the  thought  of  the  con- 
sequences to  him  which  must  follow,  and  he 
fancied  that  by  that  brutal  announcement  he 
would  at  once  deprive  me  of  all  hope,  put  an 
end  to  my  plans,  and  relieve  himself  from  fur- 
ther embarrassment.  He  took  the  view  that 


20  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

to  so  grave  an  evil  should  be  applied  a  heroic 
remedy.  I  fell  to  the  floor  like  a  log,  sense- 
less ;  and  when  I  came  to  myself  I  was  in  my 
bed,  and  my  young  comrades  were  by  my  side, 
impotent  to  calm  the  hysterical  spasms  which 
sent  me  into  fit  after  fit  of  delirium.  For  four 
days  I  was  in  bed  with  aching  bones,  bruised 
and  sore,  and  with  frequent  spells  of  convul- 
sive sobbing.  I  learned  that  during  this  time 
my  uncle  had  gone  to  Palma  Nuova  and  had 
paid  all  the  last  sad  offices  to  the  dead ;  and 
so  at  fifteen  I  was  left  an  orphan,  and  with  the 
responsibility  of  working  out  alone  my  sup- 
port and  my  future. 


SALVINI    LEAVES    MODENA 

IT  was  now  necessary  for  Gustavo  Modena 
to  accord  me  some  salary  to  enable  me  to  live, 
and  I  remember  that  my  pay  was  about  fifty 
cents  a  day.  Sometimes  when  I  was  cast  for 
an  important  part  he  would  give  me  a  dollar 
as  extra  compensation;  this  happened  very 
seldom,  but  I  had  enough  to  live  on  with  care- 
ful economy.  When  we  came  to  Milan,  how- 
ever, three  tailors,  claiming  to  be  creditors  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     21 

my  father,  presented  themselves,  and  asked 
me  what  were  my  intentions  as  to  obligations 
standing  against  the  name  of  Giuseppe  Salvini. 

"  My  intentions?"  said  I.  "I  will  pay  in 
full ;  I  ask  only  for  time."  They  had  three 
notes  of  1000  francs  each,  which  my  poor 
father  had  indorsed  for  a  friend  of  shaky 
credit  who  had  never  paid  them.  The  notes 
were  renewed  so  that  they  provided  for  pay- 
ment within  three  years,  and  I  signed  them. 
The  reader  can  imagine  how  hard  pressed  I 
felt  myself  under  these  obligations,  which  I 
must  meet  with  what  economies  I  could 
make  from  my  meager  pay.  During  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year  I  was  nevertheless  able  to 
hoard  up  300  francs,  which  I  sent  in  advance 
of  the  time  fixed  to  Lampagnano  at  Milan, 
on  account  of  my  debt.  With  regret,  but 
constrained  by  necessity,  I  sold  some  of  my 
father's  theatrical  wardrobe,  and  was  thus 
able  to  meet  all  my  engagements  for  that  year. 

When  misfortunes  befall,  they  never  come 
singly;  and  of  this  I  was  now  to  have  painful 
experience.  Soon  after  my  father's  death  an 
unlucky  incident  happened,  which  compelled 
me  to  sever  my  connection  with  Modena.  I 
had  inherited  from  my  father,  besides  his  cos- 


22  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

tumes,  of  which  I  had  sold  a  part,  a  beautiful 
wig  of  long,  golden-blond  hair,  which  he  used 
to  wear  as  Charlemagne  in  "Adelchi,"  and 
which  I  wore  in  the  part  of  Massimiliano 
Piccolominim  "Wallenstein."  After  wearing 
it,  I  used  to  give  it  in  charge  of  Graziadei,  the 
hair-dresser  of  the  theater,  to  put  by  for  me 
in  a  box.  One  evening  Signora  Giulia  Mo- 
dena,  who  occupied  herself  with  much  taste 
and  competence  about  the  dresses  of  the 
artists,  asked  me  to  lend  her  my  wig.  Now 
to  me  this  wig  was  a  most  precious  posses- 
sion, both  because  it  came  to  me  from  my 
father,  and  because  it  was  to  go  on  my  own 
head ;  so  I  refused  her  request  as  civilly  as  I 
could,  and  no  more  was  said  about  it.  The 
next  evening  I  perceived  on  the  head  of  one 
of  the  "supers"  my  beloved  wig,  which  the 
Signora  Giulia  had  obtained  from  the  hair- 
dresser on  some  trumped-up  pretext.  With 
a  "bee  in  my  bonnet"  (at  that  time  such  bees 
were  numerous  with  me),  and  my  wig  in  my 
hand,  I  presented  myself  before  the  Signora, 
and  made  my  remonstrance  : 

"  I  wish  to  know,  Signora  Giulia,  who  gave 
you  the  right  to  use  my  wig,  after  I  told  you 
that  you  could  n't  have  it?" 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     23 

"  Come  to  Gustavo,  and  you  will  find  out," 
said  she  to  me. 

We  went  to  Modena's  dressing-room,  and  I 
repeated  my  demand.  Could  he  in  my  pres- 
ence blame  his  wife,  recognize  that  I  was  right, 
and  that  she  was  guilty  of  an  unwarranted 
act?  Could  he,  a  Modena,  my  master,  make 
excuses  for  her  to  me,  his  pupil?  He  con- 
tented himself  with  saying,  "  Go,  boy  ;  go  !" 
He  did  n't  put  his  wife  in  the  wrong,  nor  did 
he  admit  that  I  was  right ;  it  was  no  doubt 
the  best  thing  he  could  do.  But  that  word 
"  boy  "  cut  me  to  the  heart,  and  I  left  the  room 
without  a  word. 

The  next  day  I  wrote  him  a  letter  notifying 
him  that  from  that  moment  I  ceased  to  belong 
to  his  company,  since  it  was  manifest  that  a 
mere  "  boy  "  could  not  be  qualified  to  take  the 
chief  parts  after  himself.  For  his  answer  he 
sent  to  me  Massini,  the  secretary,  and  some 
of  the  senior  members  of  the  company,  to 
demonstrate  to  me  that  it  was  not  making  a 
very  good  start  in  my  profession  to  leave  my 
company  in  the  middle  of  the  season.  My 
friends  told  me  further  that  Signora  Giulia 
admitted  that  she  had  acted  arbitrarily,  and 
that  it  would  be  an  ungrateful  thing  on  my 


24  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

part  to  leave  the  director  in  the  lurch.  This 
last  reason  won  my  consent  to  remain  until 
the  end  of  the  year.  Three  weeks  later  I 
was  under  contract  for  the  next  year  with  the 
Royal  Company  of  Florentines  in  Naples,  for 
first  and  second  lovers'  parts,  at  a  salary  of 
2400  francs.  Modena  engaged  in  my  place  a 
young  man  from  Leghorn  of  excellent  physi- 
cal and  mental  qualities  and  good  artistic 
promise,  Ernesto  Rossi  by  name.  He  has  not 
disappointed  the  hopes  formed  of  him  in  his 
youth.  He,  too,  guided  by  the  counsels  and 
advice  of  our  master,  has  gained  the  esteem 
of  all  Italy,  and  in  his  tours  through  Europe 
and  America  has  done  honor  to  his  country. 

The  six  months  that  I  had  still  to  stay  with 
Modena  passed  in  perfect  harmony  with  him 
and  his  wife,  for  both  of  whom  I  felt  real  affec- 
tion and  respect.  The  nearer  came  the  time 
when  I  must  leave  them,  the  more  fond  I 
grew  of  them,  admiring  in  her  the  faithful 
consort  of  an  exiled  citizen,  and  honoring  in 
him  the  upright  man,  the  distinguished  artist, 
and  the  unswerving  patriot.  Not  many  days 
before  our  separation,  I  began  to  realize  what 
a  great  advantage  it  had  been  to  me  to  have 
his  advice,  his  precepts,  his  instruction,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     25 

his  example,  and  I  treasured  all  these  up  for 
the  future.  When  at  last  we  parted,  I  felt  as 
if  I  had  lost  a  second  father ;  and  I  am  sure, 
from  his  visible  emotion,  that  he  felt  toward 
me  as  if  I  were  his  son. 


MODENA  S    METHOD    OF    TEACHING 

MODENA'S  system  of  instruction  was  more 
by  practice  than  by  theory.  In  our  day  he 
would  be  blamed,  now  that  it  is  considered 
needful  that  actors  should  know  everything 
that  has  to  do  in  any  way  with  their  subjects, 
no  matter  how  little  of  it  they  may  be  able  to 
put  to  profit.  He  rarely  spent  much  time 
in  explaining  the  character,  or  demonstrating 
the  philosophy  of  a  part,  or  in  pointing  out 
the  reasons  for  modesty  or  for  the  vehemence 
of  passion.  He  would  say,  "Do  it  so,"  and  it 
would  certainly  be  done  in  a  masterly  way. 
It  is  true  that  those  pupils  who  were  unable 
to  emancipate  themselves,  and  to  act  as  he 
told  them  indeed,  but  with  their  own  resour- 
ces and  expression  of  their  own  feeling,  de- 
veloped into  mere  imitators.  In  proof  of  this 
it  is  easy  to  show  that  most  of  Modena's  pu- 


26  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

pils,  not  excepting  some  who  attained  a  cer- 
tain reputation,  copied  him  more  in  his  faults 
than  in  his  merits. 


ADELAIDE     RISTORI 

AFTER  leaving  Modena.  I  turned  my  face 
toward  Naples ;  but  when  I  came  to  Leghorn 
I  learned  that  I  should  not  have  to  appear 
during  Lent,  as  it  was  not  the  custom  for  new 
actors  to  play  until  after  Easter.  I  was  pleas- 
antly settled  with  some  old  friends  of  my 
father's,  and  I  determined  to  wait  to  see 
Adelaide  Ristori,  who  was  then  playing  in 
Leghorn,  and  whom  I  had  never  seen. 

Ristori  was  at  that  time  twenty-three,  and 
had  already  won  most  flattering  considera- 
tion. She  was  as  beautiful  as  a  Raphael  Ma- 
donna, of  graceful  figure,  attractive,  and  of 
polished  and  dignified  manners.  She  enjoyed 
even  then  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  youthful  and  beautiful  actresses  on  the 
stage,  and  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most 
gifted ;  and  with  good  reason  rival  managers 
contended  to  secure  her.  She  was  a  pupil  of 
the  noted  Carlotta  Marchionni,  who  for  many 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     27 

years  was  the  ornament  of  the  Royal  Com- 
pany of  Turin,  and  held  the  highest  place 
among  artists  of  distinction.  From  Signora 
Marchionni  Ristori  acquired  a  wealth  of  prac- 
tical and  theoretical  knowledge,  and  this,  with 
her  essentially  artistic  nature  and  her  strong 
will,  made  her  in  a  few  years  the  favorite  of 
the  public  throughout  Italy.  Many  fell  in 
love  with  her,  and  those  who  escaped  losing 
their  hearts  admired  her.  Young  and  ardent, 
almost  too  poetic,  as  I  was,  I  could  not  re- 
main indifferent  to  the  unconscious  charming 
of  that  siren  ;  and  although  my  heart  was  al- 
ready inclined  to  other  sympathies,  in  pres- 
ence of  Ristori's  acting  it  was  invaded  by  a 
sentiment  of  respectful  affection.  I  remember 
that  one  evening  when  she  played  a  drama 
from  the  French  entitled  "La  Comtesse  d'Al- 
temberg,"  I  cried,  out  and  out,  during  a  mov- 
ing scene  in  which  a  mother  reproaches  her 
daughter  for  suspecting  her  of  being  her  rival 
in  love.  Though  I  knew  well  that  my  con- 
gratulations could  have  but  small  weight,  I 
could  not  refrain  from  assuring  her  of  my 
warm  admiration ;  and  she  was  kind  enough 
to  appear  pleased.  But  when  she  said  that 
she  was  proud  to  receive  the  homage  of  a 


28     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI 

pupil  of  the  reformer  of  dramatic  art,  she  put 
so  marked  and  ironical  an  accent  on  her 
words  that  I  remained  in  doubt  whether  she 
was  mocking  me,  or  whether  she  intended  to 
direct  a  shaft  against  the  renown  of  Gustavo 
Modena.  I  should  have  preferred  the  first 
intention  to  the  second. 


ACTING    WITH    RISTORI  — SERVICE 

UNDER   GARIBALDI— ESTIMATE 

OF   RACHEL 

PLAYING    AT    NAPLES 

AT  the  age  of  sixteen  I  found  myself  in 
jLJL  Naples,  a  member  of  the  Royal  Flor- 
entine Company.  The  older  actors  of  the 
company  were  great  favorites  with  the  Nea- 
politans, whose  sympathy  and  liking  it  is  not 
difficult  to  gain.  I  brought  with  me  the  mod- 
ern ideas  inculcated  by  the  teaching  of  my 
master,  Modena,  and  the  fresh  influence  of 
Adelaide  Ristori.  It  can  be  imagined  how 
I  felt  in  the  musty,  heavy,  unhealthful  atmo- 
sphere to  which  I  had  come.  I  felt  like  a 
first  officer  who  was  taking  the  place  of  a 
cabin-boy.  The  only  course  open  to  me  was 
to  calm  my  rebellious  spirit,  to  force  myself 
to  breathe  that  atmosphere,  the  reverse  of 
vivifying  though  it  was,  and  to  keep  faithfully 


3o  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

the  engagements  which  I  had  made.  There 
were  undoubtedly  artists  of  ability  in  that 
company,  but  their  method  was  antiquated, 
except  in  the  case  of  Adamo  Alberti,  who 
was  a  most  spirited  and  vivacious  comedian ; 
moreover,  all  spoke  with  the  accentuation  and 
inflections  of  the  Neapolitan  dialect,  so  that 
my  speech,  and  that  of  the  other  new  actors, 
contrasted  unpleasantly  with  that  of  the  old 
members.  The  parts  that  were  allotted  to 
me  were  of  little  substance,  and  I  had  them 
in  such  aversion  that  I  could  not  bring  myself 
to  study  them ;  I  was  discouraged  and  humili- 
ated to  such  a  degree  that  the  expressions  of 
displeasure  of  the  public  due  to  my  not  know- 
ing my  lines  failed  to  arouse  me  from  my 
apathy.  To  my  professional  friends  who 
sought  to  encourage  me,  I  said:  "The  pub- 
lic is  perfectly  right;  but  I  cannot  help  it.  It 
is  not  possible  for  me  to  interest  myself  in 
such  colorless  and  inept  parts." 

Through  the  influence  of  one  of  the  new 
actors  who  sympathized  with  me,  I  was  cast 
for  the  part  of  Annio  in  the  "  Clemenza  di 
Tito"  of  Metastasio,  and  on  the  night  when 
I  appeared  in  this  part,  which  was  highly 
sympathetic  to  me,  I  had  an  enthusiastic  re- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  TOMMASO  SALVINI      31 

ception.  The  so-called  camorra  (ring)  was, 
however,  so  well  organized  in  that  musty  as- 
semblage of  artists  that  I  had  no  chance  of 
getting  many  such  opportunities  to  distinguish 
myself.  The  fear  of  innovation  terrified  them, 
and  they  were  careful  to  guard  against  it.  I 
had  engaged  with  that  company  for  three 
years,  with  annual  augmentation  of  my  salary; 
but  at  my  earnest  request  the  manager,  Signer 
Prepiani,  canceled  my  contract  from  the  date 
of  the  ensuing  carnival.  That  year,  1845,  was 
a  most  unhappy  one  for  me,  abounding  in 
moral  and  material  sacrifices.  Out  of  my 
salary  of  2400  francs,  I  paid  700  to  Lampu- 
gnani,  and  500  on  account  of  the  debt  of  1000 
to  Rossi  of  Brescia.  I  lived  at  a  boarding- 
house,  where  I  paid  two  francs  and  a  half  a 
day  for  my  bed  and  dinner,  having  for  break- 
fast a  small  piece  of  bread  dipped  in  the  juice 
of  a  melon.  The  remembrance  of  the  im- 
portant parts  which  I  used  to  play  with  my 
master,  and  of  the  spontaneous  and  gratifying 
favor  accorded  by  the  public,  was  constantly 
before  me,  and  the  contrast  made  my  new 
position  seem  all  the  more  humiliating.  I 
grew  peevish  and  rebellious,  and  secretly 
cherished  thoughts  of  revenge.  I  planned  to 


32  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

return  when  all  the  old  and  moldy  material 
of  that  company  should  have  disappeared, 
and  to  put  to  shame  the  artists  who  hoped 
for  my  failure.  This  plan  did  not  testify  to 
excessive  modesty  on  my  part,  but  at  sixteen 
a  little  vanity  is  excusable.  In  the  midst  of 
my  justifiable  acrimony,  I  could  not  but  rec- 
ognize incontestable  merits  in  some  of  my 
opponents.  But  not  one  of  these  actors  and 
actresses  could  go  outside  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  Two  Sicilies  without  exposing  himself  or 
herself  in  the  theaters  of  all  other  Italian 
provinces  to  criticism  and  censure  on  account 
of  the  gestures,  the  accent,  and  the  manner- 
isms which  they  had  breathed  in  with  the 
Neapolitan  air. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  that  I  spent  at 
Naples,  I  was  enrolled  as  primo  amoroso  in 
the  Domeniconi  and  Coltellini  company,  to 
which  were  to  belong,  among  other  artists  of 
merit,  Carolina  Santoni,  Antonio  Colomberti, 
Gaetano  Coltellini,  and  Amilcare  Bellotti.  In 
this  new  and  more  sympathetic  companion- 
ship I  breathed  more  freely,  and  began  to 
cultivate  with  study  and  application  my  na- 
tural artistic  bent,  which  I  had  feared  to  lose 
at  Naples,  but  which  was  merely  dormant. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     33 

Since  I  was  under  engagement  to  pay  the 
last  1000  francs  to  the  costumer  Robotti, 
brother  of  the  well-known  actress,  I  lived  with 
rigid  economy  throughout  the  year  1846  also, 
when  at  last  my  debt  was  canceled.  After 
that  I  was  able  to  sleep  in  peace  at  night,  for 
I  was  delivered  from  the  fear  of  being  unable 
to  meet  my  obligations.  The  year  ran  its 
course  for  me  without  great  praise  or  serious 
discredit ;  if  I  was  blamed  for  any  shortcom- 
ing, it  was  for  nothing  more  than  a  certain 
lack  of  energy,  which  was  the  result  of  my 
experience  in  Naples,  and  which  I  could  not 
shake  off  at  once.  On  the  other  hand,  I  soon 
gained  the  friendship  of  the  manager  and  of 
my  associates  in  the  company,  who  perceived 
in  me,  perhaps,  some  tendency  to  advance. 
Coltellini  reengaged  me  for  the  following 
year,  with  the  rank  of  primo  attore  giovane, 
and  an  increased  salary,  and  Domeniconi, 
who  had  been  absent,  resumed  the  active 
management.  This  most  intelligent  artist 
had  not  received  from  nature  the  gift  of  good 
looks,  or  of  an  artistic  type  of  face,  or  of  a 
natural  method,  except  in  comedy ;  but  he 
had  the  merit  of  appreciating  and  giving  ex- 
pression to  the  most  intimate  thoughts  of  his 


34  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

authors,  and  that  to  a  degree  in  which  no 
other  artist  could  rival  him.  From  Gustavo 
Modena  and  Luigi  Domeniconi  I  acquired 
the  foundation  of  my  art ;  and  while  careful 
not  to  copy  the  first,  and  not  to  ape  the  man- 
ner of  the  second,  I  sought  to  profit  by  what 
I  could  gain  from  both. 


IN  ROME 

IN  the  autumn  of  that  year  the  company 
opened  at  the  Teatro  Valle  in  Rome.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  I  had  set  foot  in  the  an- 
cient capital  of  the  world ;  and  during  my 
hours  of  liberty  I  visited  untiringly  its  monu- 
ments, its  galleries,  its  splendid  churches,  and 
its  admirable  suburbs  abounding  in  handsome 
villas.  I  believe  I  formed  a  just  conception 
of  the  greatness  of  that  ancient  race  which 
dominated  the  world.  I  found  Rome  over- 
joyed at  the  famous  Encyclical,  and  at  the 
liberal  principles  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff, 
whom  all  proclaimed  the  savior  of  his  people. 
The  idolatry  of  Pius  IX.  was  universal,  and 
I,  like  everybody  else,  paid  him  the  tribute 
of  my  enthusiasm,  and  used  to  repeat  from 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     35 

memory  sonnets  which  sang  of  his  saintly 
virtues,  and  heaped  maledictions  on  Austria 
as  the  enemy  of  every  generous  aspiration  of 
Italy.  Both  the  political  and  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal censure  were  abolished,  and  we  were  free 
to  give  many  plays  which  before  had  been 
on  the  Index. 


AN    AUSTRIAN    SPY    GETS    US    IN    TROUBLE 

ONE  evening,  going  casually  to  the  dressing- 
room  of  the  first  actor,  Antonio  Colomberti, 
I  found  there  a  gentleman  of  distinguished 
appearance  and  somewhat  advanced  age, 
whom  I  did  not  know,  and  who  was  presented 
to  me  by  Colomberti.  When  we  met  in  the 
street  afterward,  we  saluted  each  other  cour- 
teously, until  one  day  a  Roman  friend  with 
whom  I  was  walking  touched  my  arm,  and 
asked,  "Who  is  that  you  are  bowing  to?  "  I 
answered,  "A  gentleman  who  was  presented 
to  me  the  other  night  by  Colomberti."  "  Don't 
you  know,"  said  he,  "that  that  person  pre- 
tends to  belong  to  the  Carbonari  association, 
and  is  really  a  spy  on  the  Targhini  and  Mon- 
tanari,  who  cannot  lift  their  heads  without  his 


36  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

reporting1  it?  He  is  a  spy  paid  by  Austria!" 
After  that  I  turned  my  head  away  every  time 
I  met  him,  and  pretended  not  to  see  him. 
The  spy  saw  through  this,  and  swore  ven- 
geance. A  few  days  afterward  I  was  invited 
to  a  country  resort, — a  vineyard,  as  they  call 
them  in  Rome, — to  be  present  at  a  lottery 
for  which  some  thousands  of  people  of  all 
ranks  had  come  together.  In  a  moment  of 
enthusiasm,  aroused  by  the  political  speeches 
which  had  been  made,  and  nourished  by  co- 
pious libations,  I  was  lifted  by  main  force 
upon  the  bottom  of  an  overturned  cask,  and 
called  upon  to  recite  some  patriotic  rhymes. 
My  success  was  proclaimed  with  loud  ap- 
plause. A  son  of  the  spy  was  present, — an 
educated  and  liberal  young  man,  who  was 
ignorant  of  the  despicable  and  infamous  trade 
of  his  father, — and  when  he  went  home  he 
told  all  about  the  lottery,  not  forgetting  my 
success  as  a  reciter  of  inflammatory  verses. 
The  personage  in  question,  whom  out  of  re- 
gard for  his  son  I  will  not  name,  caught  the 
opportunity  like  a  ball  on  the  fly,  and  sent 
such  a  good  recommendation  of  me  to  the 
Austrian  government,  that  next  year,  when 
I  was  on  my  way  to  Trieste,  whither  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     37 

rest  of  the  company  had  preceded  me,  upon 
reaching"  the  frontier  I  was  searched  and 
subjected  to  an  examination,  and  finally  the 
sentence  was  inscribed  upon  my  passport, 
"  Forbidden  to  enter  the  dominions  of  Aus- 
tria!" I  was  in  a  dilemma.  There  was  no- 
thing for  me  to  do  but  to  recross  the  Po;  and 
when  I  reached  Ferrara,  I  wrote  to  a  friend 
at  Bologna,  explaining  my  position,  and  beg- 
ging him  to  send  me  some  money  as  a  loan, 
for  I  had  nothing.  As  soon  as  the  money 
came,  my  first  thought  was  to  relieve  my 
manager  Domeniconi  from  embarrassment, 
for  without  me  he  could  not  begin  his  rep- 
resentations ;  and  I  resolved,  if  repulsed  at 
one  point,  to  try  again  at  another.  I  went 
to  Ancona,  destroyed  my  compromising  pass- 
port, and  from  the  consul  of  Tuscany  secured 
a  permit  to  travel  which  authorized  me  to  pro- 
ceed from  Ancona  to  Trieste  by  sea.  When 
I  landed  in  Trieste  I  was  promptly  arrested, 
and  conducted  under  guard  to  the  Imperial 
and  Royal  Bureau  of  Police.  They  asked 
me  what  I  meant  by  my  impudence  and  obsti- 
nacy in  daring  to  set  foot  upon  Austrian  soil 
after  I  had  been  warned  to  keep  off.  I  set 
forth  my  reasons,  and  protested  that  I  was  a 

3* 


38  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

victim  of  calumny ;  and  at  last,  through  the 
intercession  of  the  Countess  Von  Wimpffen, 
a  friend  of  Ristori,  the  concession  was  made 
that  I  might  remain  in  Trieste  until  orders 
concerning  me  could  arrive  from  Vienna. 
One  might  have  thought  that  all  this  fuss 
was  about  one  of  the  most  dangerous  of 
conspirators.  Efforts  were  made  to  obtain 
authorization  for  me  to  stay  in  Venice  also, 
for  which  place  we  were  booked  after  leav- 
ing Trieste ;  and  I  secured  permission,  under 
bonds,  to  fulfil  my  engagements  there  with 
the  company,  upon  condition  that  I  should 
present  myself  every  day  at  the  police  office, 
"to  show  myself,"  as  they  put  it.  This  re- 
quirement became  rather  a  joke,  for  every 
morning  the  consecrated  formula  would  be 
this:  I  would  say,  "Good  morning,"  and  the 
Commissary  would  answer,  "I  hope  you  are 
well,"  and  I  would  take  myself  off. 

One  evening,  rather  late,  as  I  was  leaving 
the  Caffe  Chiodi  to  return  to  my  lodgings,  I 
noticed  on  the  further  side  of  the  Ponte  della 
Verona  five  persons  who  were  barring  the 
narrow  way  by  which  I  must  pass.  The  idea 
of  an  attack  flashed  through  my  brain.  I  was 
ashamed  to  turn  back,  and  besides  it  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    39 

very  cold,  and  I  was  anxious  to  get  to  bed. 
I  made  the  motion  of  grasping  a  weapon 
under  my  cloak,  and  putting  on  a  bold  face 
I  walked  resolutely  through  the  suspicious 
group.  Just  as  I  had  passed,  I  heard  one 
say  to  the  others,  "  It  is  he."  I  turned  on 
my  heel  and  demanded,  "  Whom  do  you 
mean?"  The  chief  stepped  forward  and  said, 
"  Go  on  your  way,  Signor  Salvini ;  as  for  us, 
we  are  under  orders  to  watch  you."  "  So 
much  the  better,"  said  I;  "if  that  is  the  case, 
I  shall  be  all  the  safer  on  my  way  home." 
It  would  take  a  volume  to  tell  all  the  annoy- 
ances, the  troubles,  the  persecutions,  which 
I  had  to  undergo  because  of  that  unlucky 
introduction  of  Colomberti's  at  Rome.  I 
learned  a  lesson  from  it  —  never  to  make  in- 
troductions except  between  persons  who  are 
well  known  to  me. 


ACTING   WITH    RISTORI 

WHAT  I  have  been  narrating,  as  will  have 
been  observed,  began  in  the  year  1846  and 
extended  into  the  following  year ;  but  to  omit 
nothing  of  importance,  I  must  now  take  a  step 


40  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

backward.  In  Lent  of  1847,  I  was  m  Siena 
with  my  new  manager,  Domeniconi,  with  Ris- 
tori  as  leading  lady,  and  other  actors  of 
ability.  My  new  class  of  parts  supplied  me 
with  a  task  which  it  was  not  easy  to  carry 
through :  it  was  customary  in  Lent  to  close 
the  house  on  Fridays,  but  on  every  other 
night  of  the  week  I  had  to  appear  in  a  new 
part,  and  in  company  with  artists  of  established 
reputation.  O  Memory,  goddess  of  my  youth, 
how  great  is  my  debt  to  thee !  At  six  in  the 
morning  I  used  to  pass  out  one  of  the  city 
gates  with  the  part  I  was  to  play  in  my  hand, 
often  walking  on  a  thin  coating  of  snow.  I 
would  walk  miles  without  noticing  the  dis- 
tance, and  it  was  my  boast  that  when  the 
hour  of  rehearsal  came  I  would  make  the 
prompter's  office  a  sinecure.  All  were  aston- 
ished at  me,  and  the  more  so  because  of  the 
thirty-six  new  parts  which  were  handed  down 
to  me  to  learn  by  the  young  actor  to  whose 
place  I  had  succeeded,  six  were  in  verse.  I 
will  not  seek  to  deny  that  I  was  spurred  on 
not  only  by  my  love  for  art,  but  by  a  softer 
sentiment — by  my  resolution  not  to  be  un- 
worthy of  the  affectionate  encouragement  be- 
stowed upon  me  by  Ristori,  for  whom  I  burned 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     41 

with  enthusiasm.  But  when  we  came  to 
Rome,  in  the  spring,  I  perceived  that  her 
generous  and  confidential  encouragement  was 
intended  not  for  the  young  man,  but  solely  for 
the  young  artist !  I  did  not  prize  it  the  less 
for  that,  and  I  continued  to  love  her  as  a 
friend,  and  to  admire  her  as  an  artist.  I  was 
seventeen,  and  my  disillusion  did  not  wound 
my  heart,  but  enriched  my  store  of  experience. 
At  that  time  Ristori  was  my  ideal  as  Fran- 
cesca  da  Rimini,  as  Juliet,  as  Pia  di  Tolommei, 
and  in  a  host  of  other  roles  in  both  drama  and 
comedy,  in  which  she  put  forth  all  the  per- 
fume and  freshness  of  the  true  in  art.  All  the 
gifts  and  virtues  which  adorned  her  as  a 
woman  and  as  an  actress  united  to  influ- 
ence me  to  be  worthy  of  her  companionship. 
Surely,  Adelaide  Ristori  was  at  that  time  the 
most  charming  actress  in  Italy. 


FIRST    GREAT    SUCCESS    IN    TRAGEDY 

THAT  year  in  Rome  an  incident  occurred 
which  conduced  not  a  little  to  raise  my  artistic 
reputation  in  public  esteem.  Many  years  be- 
fore, in  that  city,  the  celebrated  Lombardi  had 


42  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

played  Alfieri's  "  Oreste."  Ventura,  Ferri, 
Capidoglio,  all  famed  actors,  and  finally  Gus- 
tavo Modena  himself,  had  tried  it,  but  had  not 
succeeded  in  overcoming  the  strong  impres- 
sion left  by  Lombardi,  who  possessed  in  pro- 
fusion the  precise  requisites  for  that  char- 
acter— good  looks,  youth,  voice,  fire,  delivery, 
intelligence :  so  they  were  enumerated  to  me, 
who  had  never  had  the  good  fortune  to  see 
him.  Some  years  had  passed  since  the  last  of 
the  unsuccessful  attempts  to  revive  "  Oreste," 
when,  upon  the  occasion  of  a  benefit  which 
was  to  be  given  me,  I  expressed  to  an  old 
dilettante  who  was  president  of  one  of  the 
best  philanthropic  societies  of  Rome  my  de- 
sire to  appear  in  that  part.  The  old  gentle- 
man, who  took  much  interest  in  my  progress, 
exclaimed:  "  Dear  me  !  my  son,  do  you  want 
to  tempt  fortune,  and  to  play  all  your  future 
on  one  card  ?  Think  of  what  a  risk  you  would 
run.  Others,  more  experienced  than  you, 
have  tried  it,  and  have  been  sorry.  Don't  be 
so  stubborn  as  to  put  yourself  in  a  fair  way  to 
lose  all  you  have  gained  in  the  favor  of  the 
public.  My  son,  don't  do  it." 

I  was  in  truth  very  young,  and,  like  the  lava 
which  pours  from  a  volcano,  I  knew  no  ob- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     43 

stacks;  therefore,  for  my  benefit  I  imposed 
upon  the  company,  as  was  my  right,  the 
tragedy  of  "  Oreste."  The  night  of  the  repre- 
sentation came.  My  ears  were  tingling  with 
discouraging  warnings;  the  state  of  mind  I 
was  in  is  beyond  description;  yet  I  found 
some  comfort  in  my  own  secret  reasoning.  I 
said  to  myself:  "As  Romeo  in  'Giulietta  e 
Romeo/  as  Paolo  in  '  Francesca  da  Rimini/ 
as  Carlo  in  '  Filippo/  as  Egisto  in  '  Merope/ 
I  have  found  favor  with  the  public;  why 
should  I  lose  it  as  Oreste,  a  character  which 
moves  me  powerfully,  and  for  which  I  have  as 
suitable  physical  gifts  as  anybody  ?  "  I  went 
to  the  Teatro  Valle  three  hours  before  the  ris- 
ing of  the  curtain;  I  dressed  myself  at  once, 
and  went  to  pacing  up  and  down  behind  the 
scenes  like  a  wild  animal,  speaking  to  no  one 
and  answering  no  one.  I  overheard  my  com- 
rades saying  among  themselves,  "  Salvinetto 
is  a  fool !  "  "  Salvinetto  has  gone  mad  !  "  and 
indeed  they  had  good  reason  to  think  so.  The 
auditorium  was  soon  crowded.  The  play  had 
not  been  given  for  many  years  in  Rome ;  the 
public  was  eager  to  see  it  again,  and  was 
attracted  by  the  sympathy  which  my  name 
enjoyed,  and  by  curiosity  to  witness  a  success, 


44  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

so  that  not  a  place  in  the  theater  was  left 
vacant.  The  first  act  ended  with  applause 
for  Ristori  (Elettra),  for  Job  (Clitennestra), 
for  Domeniconi  (Egisto).  As  I  stood  behind 
the  scenes  I  envied  them,  and  thought  of  the 
hisses  w^hich  were  perhaps  about  to  greet  me. 
The  interlude  of  music  which  precedes  the 
second  act  ended,  and  Oreste  must  go  on 
immediately.  My  Pilade  (Giacomo  Glech) 
said  to  me,  "  Courage  !  Courage  !  "  "I  have 
it  for  sale,"  said  I;  "do  you  want  some?" 
and  at  once  I  went  on.  I  made  my  entry 
without  speaking,  without  bowing  my  thanks 
for  the  applause  which  attended  my  appear- 
ance ;  I  identified  myself  absolutely  with  the 
personage  whose  part  I  was  representing. 
After  manifesting  by  gestures  my  joy  upon 
recognizing  the  ancestral  scenes  from  which 
Oreste  had  fled  at  the  age  of  five,  I  delivered 
my  first  verse :  "  Pilade,  yes !  This  is  my 
realm !  O  joy ! "  The  public,  after  the  ap- 
plause of  welcome,  had  resumed  silence,  eager 
to  see  from  the  start  how  that  impetuous  char- 
acter would  develop  itself,  and  now  broke 
forth  with  a  roar  of  approbation  which  re- 
echoed from  pit  to  gallery  for  as  much  as  two 
minutes.  Then  I  said  to  myself,  "  Ah  !  I  am 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     45 

Oreste"  As  the  play  went  on,  and  at  the  end, 
the  applause  became  enthusiasm.  From  that 
moment  my  title  of  tragic  actor  was  won,  and 
I  was  only  nineteen  ! 


A    CHAPTER    OF    ACCIDENTS 

IN  1848  we  made  a  tour  in  Sicily.  We 
embarked  at  Naples,  where  the  political  dis- 
turbances of  that  year  had  not  yet  manifested 
themselves.  During  our  stay  in  Palermo, 
however,  the  revolution  broke  out  in  the  isl- 
and. Ferdinand  II.  stopped  the  steam-pack- 
ets which  communicated  with  the  mainland, 
and  we  found  ourselves  cut  off  from  returning 
to  Rome,  where  we  were  bound  to  appear  for 
a  subscription  season  arranged  for  by  the 
most  distinguished  families  of  the  Roman  pa- 
triciate. Poor  Luigi  Domeniconi  was  in  de- 
spair. He  decided  to  get  the  whole  company 
together,  and  proposed  that  we  should  char- 
ter a  brigantine  and  make  the  voyage  by  sail 
to  Civita  Vecchia.  We  accepted  on  the  spot, 
all  the  more  eager  to  escape  from  the  trap  we 
were  in  because  we  heard  that  the  King  of 
Naples  was  preparing  a  strong  military  ex- 


46  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

pedition  for  the  purpose  of  invading  Sicily 
and  subjugating  the  rebels.  Our  provisions 
were  embarked,  and  we  sailed  without  hin- 
drance out  of  Palermo  on  the  Fortunato,  a 
vessel  which  had  just  made  a  voyage  with  a 
cargo  of  sulphur.  We  had  the  lower  deck 
divided  into  two  rooms  with  canvas,  one  for 
the  ladies,  the  other  for  the  men,  and  laid  our 
mattresses  down  on  the  deck,  so  that  the  ship 
looked  like  a  floating  hospital.  Ristori,  who 
had  already  become  Marchesa  Capranica  del 
Grillo,  had  a  sort  of  state-room  of  canvas  and 
boards  rigged  up  on  deck,  and  she  and  her 
husband  were  somewhat  less  uncomfortable 
than  the  rest  of  us.  Continuous  calms  held 
us  back  near  the  Sicilian  coast,  and  the  suf- 
focating heat  tempted  me  and  some  of  my 
friends  to  plunge  overboard  into  the  sea, 
which  was  as  bright  and  clear  as  crystal. 
We  were  swimming  quietly  in  the  slow  wake 
of  our  ship,  when  of  a  sudden  we  were  star- 
tled by  a  horrified  yell.  It  was  the  captain, 
who  sprang  up  on  the  poop,  and  called  at 
the  top  of  his  voice:  "Santo  diavolone !  get 
on  board  quick,  gentlemen ;  we  are  just  in 
the  spot  where  dogfish  are  most  plentiful ! " 
The  sailors  began  to  throw  morsels  of  food 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    47 

as  far  beyond  us  as  they  could,  to  distract  the 
attention  of  the  bloodthirsty  animals,  and  in 
a  twinkling  we  were  again  on  deck,  swarm- 
ing up  the  rope  ladder.  We  got  a  famous 
dressing-down  from  the  captain,  who  was 
responsible  for  any  misfortunes  which  might 
have  befallen  us  as  his  passengers,  and  the 
experience  took  away  effectually  our  appe- 
tite for  swimming. 

After  four  days  passed  at  sea,  we  had  all 
come  to  have  prodigious  appetites ;  on  the 
sixth  day  our  provisions  were  exhausted,  and 
we  had  to  get  on  as  best  we  could  with 
ship's  biscuit  and  fried  potatoes.  It  occurred 
to  the  cook  to  make  us  some  fritters  of  flour 
and  sugar,  which  were  duly  distributed.  But 
just  as  we  were  preparing  to  swallow  with 
avidity  this  unlooked-for  dainty,  a  mighty 
yell  came  from  the  cook,  who  had  tried  one 
of  his  fritters,  and  with  swelled  lips  and 
burning  tongue  called  to  us  that  the  fritters 
were  poisoned  !  It  appears  that  the  cabin- 
boy  had  been  sent  to  the  captain's  cabin  for 
the  sugar,  and  had  taken  by  mistake  a  pack- 
age of  flour  poisoned  with  arsenic  for  the  de- 
struction of  rats.  Two  days  more  went  by, 
and  from  being  hungry  we  became  famished. 


48  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

With  the  consent  of  the  captain,  four  of  us 
took  the  brigantine's  boat  and  rowed  off  to 
a  fishing-smack  to  buy  the  fishermen's  catch. 
But  the  fishermen  declined  to  sell,  saying 
that  they  were  bound  to  deliver  all  they 
caught  to  their  employer.  I  explained  to 
them  civilly  that  we  had  thirty  persons  on 
our  ship  who  were  actually  starving,  and  that 
under  these  circumstances  they  were  not  jus- 
tified in  refusing  to  sell,  and  I  told  them  that 
we  were  willing  to  pay  them  twice  the  value 
of  their  fish,  but  that  it  was  necessary  that  we 
should  buy  them.  The  blockheads  persisted 
nevertheless  in  their  refusal,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  throw  courtesy  to  the  winds  and 
to  take  away  a  part  of  their  catch  by  force,  for 
which  we  threw  them  a  handful  of  silver.  We 
were  pirates,  no  doubt,  but  generous  pirates. 
The  next  morning  we  made  land,  and  the 
city  of  Civita  Vecchia  gradually  came  into 
plain  sight.  Full  of  delight,  and  never  doubt- 
ing that  we  should  sleep  that  night  in  good 
soft  beds,  we  threw  our  straw  ticks  over- 
board ;  when  all  of  a  sudden  a  violent  con- 
trary wind  arose,  and  drove  the  ship  out  to 
sea  again.  We  spent  that  night  on  the  bare 
planks  of  the  deck.  At  last,  on  the  following 


RISTORI   AS  "MARY   STUART." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     49 

day,  we  landed  at  Civita  Vecchia,  and,  weary 
from  our  wretched  sleeping"  accommodations, 
sunburnt,  and  with  throats  parched  by  the 
heat,  we  made  the  best  of  our  way  to  a  caffe 
to  get  something  refreshing.  But  when  we 
tendered  our  money  to  the  cashier,  he  would 
not  take  it,  because  the  silver  was  blackened 
by  the  fumes  of  sulphur,  of  which  the  ship 
was  redolent.  We  all  had  to  set  to  work  to 
polish  our  money,  and  when,  after  much  la- 
bor, we  had  brought  the  coins  back  to  their 
original  brightness,  we  succeeded  with  some 
trouble  in  getting  them  accepted,  and  were 
free  to  set  out  for  Rome.  Such  a  chapter 
of  accidents  it  all  was  that  some  of  the  com- 
pany seriously  attributed  our  experience  to 
the  presence  on  the  ship  of  some  possessor 
of  the  evil  eye. 


SALVINI    ENLISTS 

IN  that  year  the  revolutionary  movement 
assumed  extensive  proportions.  In  Rome 
were  gathered  all  that  Italy  could  boast  of 
honest,  liberal,  and  courageous  citizens,  lovers 
of  liberty.  Pius  IX.,  who  had  given  the  first 


5o  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

impulse  to  the  progressist  and  humanitarian 
theories  of  the  time,  became  frightened  by  the 
menaces  of  Austria,  by  the  displeasure  of  the 
absolute  rulers  of  the  other  provinces  of  Italy, 
and  most  of  all  by  the  insinuations  and  coun- 
sels of  the  clericals  throughout  Europe,  who 
hated  every  aspiration  toward  liberalism,  and 
he  abjured  the  principles  he  had  professed, 
and  proceeded  to  Gaeta,  to  fly  from  the  im- 
petuous wave  of  the  revolution,  which  would 
have  swept  him  on  into  a  holy  war  against 
the  oppressors  of  Italy.  Some  time  before 
this,  in  Rome,  as  well  as  in  other  provinces, 
the  National  Guard  had  been  formed,  and  I 
had  been  enrolled  in  the  8th  Roman  Battalion. 


THE    DEFENSE    OF    ROME 

THE  republic  was  proclaimed  by  the  will 
of  the  people.  Mazzini  was  one  of  the  three 
consuls.  Among  the  chiefs  of  the  republican 
army  were  Avezzana,  Roselli,  Garibaldi,  and 
Medici;  and  the  various  regiments  numbered 
together  about  fifteen  thousand  young  men, 
the  flower  of  the  best  families  of  Italy.  Louis 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  the  President  of  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVIN1     51 

French  republic,  and  to  win  over  the  clerical 
party,  which  afterward  helped  him  mount  his 
throne,  he  despatched  an  expedition  which, 
in  conjunction  with  the  forces  of  the  King  of 
Naples,  and  with  the  cooperation  of  a  rather 
shadowy  contingent  from  Spain,  had  for  its 
objective  the  reestablishment  of  the  Pontiff 
in  Rome,  and  the  subjugation  of  the  Italian 
republicans.  As  soon  as  our  Triumvirate 
learned  of  these  projects,  it  published  an  edict 
to  the  National  Guard,  summoning  all  who 
were  in  earnest  to  mobilize  for  the  defense  of 
the  walls  and  fortifications  of  the  city.  I  and 
other  young  artists  with  me  were  not  the  last 
to  report  for  duty ;  and  soon  two  battalions 
of  volunteers  were  ready,  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Masi,  who  intrusted  to  us  the 
defense  of  the  walls  at  the  Gardens  of  the 
Pope,  between  the  Cavalleggieri  and  An- 
gelica gates.  On  April  30  the  French,  led 
by  General  Oudinot,  came  in  sight  of  Rome, 
advancing  from  Civita  Vecchia,  and  were 
welcomed  by  a  first  cannon-shot,  which  was 
discharged  within  ten  paces  of  where  I  was 
stationed.  I  must  confess  that  at  that  first 
shot  the  nerves  about  my  stomach  contracted 
sharply.  The  French,  who  were  marching  in 


52  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

compact  order  along  the  highway,  deployed 
in  skirmishing  order  in  the  fields,  and  opened 
a  sharp  though  irregular  fire.  On  the  ram- 
parts we  had  only  two  small  howitzers,  and 
all  about  them  fell  the  rifle-balls  of  the  Chas- 
seurs de  Vincennes,  while  the  French  sharp- 
shooters were  out  of  range  of  the  bullets  of 
our  muskets.  After  covering  us  with  a  heavy 
fire,  they  attempted  to  take  our  walls  by  as- 
sault; but  the  hail  of  balls  which  we  poured 
in  on  them  forced  them  to  give  up  the  notion, 
leaving  the  field  strewn  with  their  dead  and 
wounded. 


MADE    A    CORPORAL,    AND    SET    TO    BUILDING 
BARRICADES 

ON  that  same  day  I  was  promoted  corpo- 
ral by  the  commander  of  my  battalion,  and 
on  the  night  of  April  30  I  was  in  charge 
of  the  changing  of  sentinels,  and  on  the 
lookout  for  a  not  improbable  night  assault. 
The  result  of  that  day  had  been  in  our 
favor;  we  had  weakened  the  enemy's  ranks 
by  over  1500,  between  killed,  wounded,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     53 

prisoners.  Yet  these  enemies,  too,  were 
republicans,  and  bore  the  cock  with  open 
wings  on  their  caps,  which  we  saw  pierced 
with  our  balls  when  the  next  morning 
dawned.  For  seven  days  and  nights  we  were 
not  relieved  from  that  post,  and  our  couch 
was  the  bare  earth.  At  last  we  had  the  good 
fortune  to  give  over  our  station  to  another 
body  of  soldiers,  but  we  were  at  once  given 
the  task  of  constructing  barricades  at  the 
Porta  del  Popolo.  I  had  charge  of  the  build- 
ing of  two  of  them,  and  these  were  deemed 
worthy  of  praise  in  the  certificate  given  me  in 
1 86 1  by  General  Avezzana,  formerly  Minister 
of  War.  This  I  am  proud  to  transcribe  here, 
with  its  note  by  Garibaldi : 

NAPLES,  February  12,  1861. 

I,  the  undersigned,  attest  that  Citizen  Tommaso  Sal- 
vim  served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  mobilized  National 
Guard  posted  for  the  defense  of  the  Vatican  Gardens  on 
April  30,  1849,  when  that  position  was  attacked  by  the 
hostile  French  troops.  Further,  that  the  said  Salvini,  who 
was  subsequently  promoted  Corporal,  continued  to  serve 
throughout  the  siege  of  Rome,  both  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Guard  and  in  the  construction  and  defense  of  barricades, 
during  the  whole  time  of  that  memorable  siege,  and  that 


54  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

throughout  this  time  he  conducted  himself  as  a  warm  pa- 
triot and  a  brave  soldier.  In  testimony  whereof  I  hand  to 
him  the  present  certificate. 

GIUSEPPE  AVEZZANA, 
General,  ex-Minister  of  War  and  of  Marine. 

I   recommend   to   my  friend  Avezzana   our  comrade 
Salvini.  GIUSEPPE  GARIBALDI. 


GLIMPSES    OF    GARIBALDI 

AFTER  the  check  of  April  30,  the  French 
wanted  their  revenge,  and  since  they  had  dis- 
covered that  our  bullets  were  not  made  of 
butter,  and  that  Italians  could  fight,  two  things 
which  they  would  never  have  believed,  they 
resolved  upon  a  new  expedition,  this  time 
of  34,000  men,  and  with  a  full  siege-train. 
During  the  truce  we  gave  up  300  prisoners, 
whom  the  kind-hearted  Italians  sent  over  to 
the  enemy's  camp  with  their  pockets  full  of 
cigars  and  their  stomachs  of  wine,  since  they 
swore  that  they  had  come  in  ignorance  of 
the  state  of  affairs,  and  that  they  would  never 
again  bear  arms  against  us.  When  they  left 
us,  they  shouted,  "Vive  la  Republique  Ro- 
mainef"  But  when  our  republic  had  fallen, 
we  recognized  some  of  them  in  the  hostile 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SAL'VINl     55 

ranks  which  marched  into  Rome,  with  arms 
in  their  hands,  and  the  exultation  of  con- 
querors on  their  faces.  Our  forces  dwindled 
from  day  to  day,  and  we  could  not  fill  the 
places  of  the  killed  and  wounded,  and  of  the 
sick.  One  day  there  would  be  a  brush  on  the 
Pincio,  the  next  before  the  Porta  Portese,  but 
more  often  there  would  be  fighting  at  the 
Porta  San  Pancrazio,  where  I  had  opportunity 
to  become  familiar  with  the  cannon's  roar, 
with  the  whistling  of  conical  balls,  and  with 
the  sight  of  dead  and  dying,  and  of  mutila- 
tion. Behind  the  stretch  of  wall  which  we 
defended  there  was  a  house  with  a  balcony, 
in  which  house  Garibaldi  would  often  show 
himself  at  a  garret  window  to  study  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy  with  his  field-glass.  The 
front  of  this  house  was  riddled  with  French 
balls,  but  by  a  happy  fortune  none  of  them 
ever  struck  the  general,  though  a  young 
Lombard  named  Tedeschini,  a  friend  of  mine, 
was  hit  in  the  eye  by  a  projectile,  and  fell 
from  the  balcony  to  the  ground.  When  Gari- 
baldi came  out  of  the  house,  he  saw  the  poor 
fellow  lying  there  in  his  blood,  and  said,  "  I 
told  him  that  this  would  happen."  In  point 
of  fact,  a  short  time  before  he  had  warned 


56  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

him  from  his  high  window  of  the  risk  he  was 
running  by  imprudently  exposing  his  head  in 
a  place  where  he  had  no  cover. 

Another  day,  hearing  angry  voices  at  the 
Porta  San  Pancrazio,  I  descended  from  the 
gallery  where  I  was  posted  to  see  what  the 
trouble  was,  and  I  arrived  in  time  to  hear  a 
sharp  discussion  between  Garibaldi  and  Ma- 
sina.  Garibaldi  ordered  Masina  to  take  his 
"  Knights  of  Death "  and  seize  the  Vascello 
Casino.  Masina  observed  to  the  general  that 
there  were  over  500  French  soldiers  in  that 
building,  and  that  it  was  an  impossibility  for 
cavalry  to  dislodge  them.  Garibaldi  retorted: 
"If  you  don't  want  to  go  there,  I  will  go." 
"  No,  general,"  said  Masina ;  "  I  am  going." 
He  gave  the  command  to  his  men,  but  only 
thirteen  mounted  their  horses  to  follow  him. 
The  San  Pancrazio  gate  was  thrown  open, 
and  a  fruitless  hail  of  balls  preceded  the 
sortie  of  the  knights,  who  charged  forth  on 
a  full  run  along  the  highway  toward  the  Vas- 
cello, which  was  a  musket-shot  away.  In  their 
headlong  charge  one  man  fell,  pierced  by  a 
bullet,  but  his  horse  ran  on  with  the  others, 
who  rode  up  the  ramp,  and  in  on  the  lower 
floor  of  the  Casino.  In  a  moment  we  heard 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     57 

a  repeated  and  prolonged  discharge  within, 
and  we  saw  three  of  those  heroes  ride  out, 
and  these  fortunately  regained  the  gate  of 
Rome  unharmed.  Masina  was  not  one  of 
them.  That  must  surely  have  been  a  very 
sad  day  for  Garibaldi. 

Under  the  protection  of  a  ditch  and  a  thick 
hedge  along  the  highway,  we  advanced  from 
the  small  postern,  under  the  fire  of  the  French, 
to  retake  the  bodies  and  carry  them  back  to 
Rome.  We  succeeded,  not  without  difficulty 
and  danger,  and  were  warmly  praised  by  our 
fellows  in  arms.  Hasina's  body  was  unrecog- 
nizable, for  the  French,  seeking  to  prevent 
us  from  getting  possession  of  it,  had  concen- 
trated their  fire  on  his  head  as  he  lay  a  corpse. 


THE    FALL    OF    ROME 

THE  solution  of  the  glorious  drama  was 
near.  The  trenches  and  rifle-pits  planned 
by  the  French  chief  of  engineers,  Le  Vail- 
lant,  were  completed,  the  siege-ordnance  was 
placed  in  position,  and  shells  rained  on  Rome 
regularly  every  five  minutes,  day  and  night. 
Yet  the  republicans  would  not  capitulate. 


58  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

It  was  a  heroic  protest  rather  than  a  defense. 
We  all  knew  that  we  could  not  hold  out 
against  forces  so  overwhelming,  but  we  knew 
too  that  there  were  in  Italy  generous  hearts 
full  of  revolt  against  the  yoke  of  despot- 
ism and  tyranny.  The  French  made  seven 
breaches  in  the  walls,  with  the  view  of  secur- 
ing possession  of  the  heights,  and  these  they 
occupied  by  night,  with  the  aid  of  traitors,  but 
not  without  an  obstinate  and  heroic  resis- 
tance. The  republic  fell,  but  not  the  repub- 
licans. As  soon  as  the  French  had  secured 
possession  of  a  few  important  strategic  points 
in  the  city,  Garibaldi  marched  out  of  the 
gate  of  St.  John  with  a  few  hundred  men; 
many  others  left  Rome  singly,  and  still  more 
withdrew  quietly  to  their  own  houses,  filled 
with  anxiety  for  the  future.  A  military  proc- 
lamation was  issued,  commanding  all  persons 
to  retire  to  their  lodgings  at  the  firing  of  a 
gun  every  evening  at  nine  o'clock.  Numer- 
ous patrols  passed  through  the  streets  after 
that  hour.  I,  with  Missori  (who  was  after- 
ward colonel  with  Garibaldi,  whose  life  he 
saved  at  Calata  Fimi),  the  professor  of  music 
Dal!'  Agata,  and  others  who  lived  in  the  same 
house,  used  to  mock  the  French  patrols,  as 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     59 

they  passed  under  our  windows,  by  imitating 
the  cock's  crow  at  them.  After  a  few  days  it 
occurred  to  me  that  I  might  be  exposed  to 
some  annoyance  after  the  reestablishment  of 
ecclesiastical  rule,  .and  I  determined  to  leave 
Rome  for  a  time,  giving  as  a  pretext  my  de- 
sire to  see  my  relatives,  as  well  as  a  certain 
pretty  girl  to  whom  I  had  been  attentive 
for  some  time.  Accordingly  I  set  out  from 
Rome,  and  embarked  at  Civita  Vecchia  on 
the  steamer  //  Corriere  Corso  with  many  emi- 
grants of  my  acquaintance,  among  them  Au- 
relio  Saffi,  Saliceti,  DalF  Ongaro,  and  Sala  of 
Milan.  When  the  steamer  put  in  at  Leghorn, 
where  we  were  to  land,  the  restored  govern- 
ment of  the  Grand  Duke  refused  to  receive  us, 
and  despatched  us  on  to  Genoa.  There  we 
found  in  the  port  the  steamer  Lombardo,  which 
had  taken  a  large  number  of  the  politically 
compromised,  among  them  Prince  Canino 
Bonaparte,  who  had  been  vice-president  of 
the  Roman  assembly.  Our  ship  was  promptly 
surrounded,  like  the  other,  by  gunboats ;  and 
after  lying  there  three  days,  we  were  taken 
to  the  Lazaretto  della  Foce.  To  those  of  us 
who  could  afford  to  pay  was  assigned  a  room 
with  straw  beds  on  the  floor ;  but  the  greater 


60  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

number  were  forced  to  remain  in  the  corri- 
dors of  the  establishment.  I  was  in  a  room 
with  my  friends. 

An  aunt  of  mine,  who  was  at  Genoa,  begged 
my  liberty  of  General  La  Marmora,  who  was 
then  commandant  of  the  place,  and  I  was  thus 
able  to  leave  prison  sooner  than  the  rest.  I 
was  impatient  to  get  to  Florence,  and  I  pre- 
sented myself  with  my  passport  to  the  Tuscan 
consul,  to  obtain  the  necessary  visa,  and  then 
hurried  on  board  of  a  packet  which  was  just 
sailing  for  Leghorn.  That  night  the  gods 
had  a  famous  battle  among  themselves.  It 
thundered,  it  lightened,  terrific  bolts  flashed 
down  from  the  heavens,  and  the  wind  piled 
up  the  waves  in  mountains,  up  which  we 
crawled  only  to  fall  into  the  abyss  beyond. 
It  seemed  as  if  our  nutshell  of  a  steamer  must 
go  to  pieces  at  any  moment.  A  gruesome 
noise  arose  from  the  dashing  about  of  furni- 
ture, the  crashing  of  dishes,  bottles,  'and 
glasses,  the  groaning  of  the  timbers,  the 
shrieks  of  some  of  the  women,  and  the  cry- 
ing of  terrified  children.  The  cabin  doors 
were  fastened,  but  I  stayed  on  deck  to  enjoy 
this  grand  spectacle  of  nature ;  I  was  obliged 
for  safety  to  have  myself  secured  to  a  mast, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     61 

or  I  should  have  been  washed  overboard  by 
the  waves,  which  broke  on  deck  without  in- 
termission. In  the  midst  of  the  disturbance 
I  fell  asleep,  and  at  dawn  I  was  not  sorry  to 
find  myself  in  sight  of  Leghorn — but  in  what 
a  state !  I  was  drenched  by  the  sea  and  the 
steady  downpour ;  I  was  literally  swimming 
in  my  boots,  and  I  had  to  go  to  my  state-room 
and  change  my  clothes  from  head  to  foot. 


IN    PRISON 

UPON  landing  at  Leghorn,  my  first  care 
was  to  go  to  the  police  bureau  for  my  pass- 
port, which  I  had  had  to  give  to  the  purser 
of  the  steamer  before  sailing  from  Genoa. 
The  chief  of  police  put  an  infinity  of  ques- 
tions to  me,  and  I  gave  him  straightforward 
answers,  the  result  of  which  was  that  I  was 
conducted  between  two  gendarmes  to  the 
Lazaretto  of  St.  Leopold,  which  was  at  that 
time  set  aside  for  the  detention  of  political 
prisoners.  I  was  put  into  a  large  cell  with 
several  young  men  of  Leghorn  whom  I  knew 
to  be  of  advanced  opinions,  and  with  a  supply 
of  cigars  and  some  bottles  of  good  wine  we 


62  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

spent  three  days  without  incident.  On  the 
fourth  day  I  was  notified  that  as  my  domicile 
was  in  Florence,  I  must  proceed  to  that  city. 
Two  new  guardian  angels  bore  me  company 
in  a  coach  to  the  railway  station,  and  were 
civil  enough  to  spare  me  the  mortification  of 
appearing  to  be  under  arrest  by  sitting  at 
some  distance  from  me  in  the  compartment, 
though  they  were  careful  not  to  take  their 
eyes  off  me.  At  Florence  another  coach  was 
in  waiting,  and  set  me  down  at  the  office  of 
the  Commissary  of  the  quarter  of  San  Marco. 
It  was  dinner-time,  and  all  the  officials  were 
out.  While  I  was  waiting  I  discovered  a  ser- 
geant, an  ex-dramatic  artist,  whom  I  knew, 
and  I  begged  him  to  inform  my  uncle  of  my 
arrival  in  Florence  as  a  prisoner.  After  a 
time  the  officer  in  charge  came  in,  and,  learn- 
ing that  I  was  domiciled  in  the  Santo  Spirito 
quarter,  he  sent  me  on  to  the  Commissary  of 
that  subdivision  of  the  city.  This  personage 
said,  with  a  most  impertinent  and  offensive 
manner,  "  You  look  like  a  very  suspicious 
character."  "You  don't  mean  to  say  so," 
said  I;  "that  shows  that  appearances  are 
deceptive,  for,  on  the  contrary,  I  am  the  most 
amiable  young  man  in  the  world."  This 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     63 

flighty  jack-in-office  proceeded  to  put  me 
through  such  a  tiresome  maze  of  questions 
that  I  thought  he  would  end  by  asking  me 
the  name  of  the  priest  who  baptized  me,  or 
that  of  the  barber  who  gave  me  my  first 
shave.  Just  as  at  Leghorn,  the  result  of  all 
this  prying  and  inquisitorial  insinuation  was 
an  order  to  take  me  to  prison. 

After  five  days  my  uncle  came  and  an- 
nounced to  me  that  I  was  at  liberty,  but 
under  the  condition  that  I  should  leave  Flor- 
ence at  once.  My  director,  Domeniconi,  had 
obtained  permission  to  resume  his  represen- 
tations, and  wrote  me  to  return  to  Rome 
at  once,  and  that  he  would  see  to  it  that  I 
should  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  pon- 
tifical police. 


BACK    IN    ROME 

BUT  what  a  Rome  it  was  to  which  I  came 
back  !  It  was  black,  barren,  lugubrious ;  char- 
acterized especially  by  the  red  of  the  French 
trousers,  and  the  black  of  priests'  vestments. 
The  few  citizens  whom  one  met  in  the  streets 
looked  so  sad  that  one's  heart  yearned  for 


64  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

them.  Those  days  were  gone  when  all  was 
life;  when  the  cheerful  colors  of  the  nation 
adorned  the  streets,  the  palaces,  the  houses, 
and  even  the  sunlight  seemed  brighter  for 
their  presence.  Where  were  all  those  merry 
faces,  full  of  hope,  eager  for  glory  and  for  lib- 
erty ?  Where  was  that  sentiment  of  kinship 
and  of  equality  which  made  one  say  when  he 
met  a  youth,  "He  is  my  brother !"  and  in- 
spired a  filial  feeling  to  every  elderly  man  ? 
The  air  had  become  heavy,  the  walls  gloomy, 
the  people  melancholy ;  if  we  met  a  French 
soldier,  we  said,  " There  is  an  oppressor"; 
if  a  priest,  "  There  is  an  enemy  of  our  coun- 
try." Unhappy  Rome!  Unhappy  Italy! 
And  with  those  two  exclamations  I  turned 
back  to  art,  the  one  resource  which  lay  open  to 
my  bruised  spirit,  and  to  art  I  dedicated  my- 
self without  reserve.  I  understood  perfectly 
that  the  priestly  government  looked  upon  me 
with  an  evil  eye,  and  I  thought  it  prudent  to 
hold  myself  in  complete  isolation  —  all  the 
more  so  after  I  had  met  Monsignor  Mattencei, 
governor  of  Rome,  escorted  by  police  agents 
in  disguise,  and  he  had  said  to  me  as  he  passed, 
4 'Prudence,  my  young  fellow!"  I  well  un- 
derstood the  covert  threat,  and  I  spent  every 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     65 

hour  that  the  theater  did  not  require  of  me 
in  reading"  and  studying  in  my  rooms. 

Doubtless  it  would  not  be  possible  for  me 
now  to  remember  how  much  and  what  I  read 
during  the  two  years  that  I  continued  after  this 
with  the  Roman  company.  I  was  by  nature 
more  inclined  to  poetry  than  prose,  and  I  gave 
most  of  my  time  to  the  perusal  of  the  classics 
in  poetry  and  the  drama.  Homer,  Ossian, 
Dante,  Tasso,  Ariosto,  Petrarch — the  sover- 
eign poets  —  were  my  favorites ;  Metastasio, 
Alfieri,  Goldoni,  Nota,  Kotzebue,  Arelloni, 
ranked  next;  and  after  these  my  preference 
was  given  to  the  foreign  authors  —  Milton, 
Goethe,  Schiller,  Byron,  Corneille,  Racine, 
Moliere.  For  the  bonne  bouche  I  reserved 
Ugo  Foscolo,  Leopardi,  Manzoni,  Monti,  and 
Niccolini. 

By  familiarizing  myself  with  these  great 
writers,  I  formed  a  fund  of  information  which 
was  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  me  in  the 
pursuit  of  my  profession.  I  made  comparisons 
between  the  heroes  of  ancient  Greece  and 
those  of  Celtic  races;  I  paralleled  the  great 
men  of  Rome  with  those  of  the  middle  ages; 
and  I  studied  their  characters,  their  passions, 
their  manners,  their  tendencies,  to  such  pur- 


66  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

pose  that  when  I  had  occasion  to  impersonate 
one  of  those  types  I  was  able  to  study  it  in  its 
native  atmosphere.  I  sought  to  live  with  my 
personage,  and  then  to  represent  him  as  my 
imagination  pictured  him.  The  nice  decision 
as  to  whether  I  was  always  right  must  rest 
with  the  public.  It  is  very  certain  that  to  ac- 
complish anything  in  art  requires  assiduous 
application,  unwearied  study,  continuous  ob- 
servation, and,  in  addition  to  all  that,  natural 
aptitude.  Many  artists  who  have  ability,  eru- 
dition, and  perseverance  will  nevertheless 
sometimes  fall  short  of  their  ideal.  It  may 
happen  that  they  lack  the  physical  qualities 
demanded  by  the  part,  or  that  the  voice  can- 
not bend  itself  to  certain  modulations,  or  that 
the  personality  is  incompatible  with  the  char- 
acter represented. 


ABSURDITIES    OF   THE    CENSORSHIP 

OUR  company  reopened,  then,  at  the  Te- 
atro  Valle  of  Rome,  and  took  the  name  of 
that  city.  The  laws  of  political  and  ecclesi- 
astical censure  had  come  again  into  force,  and 
we  actors  had  to  contend  with  very  serious 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     67 

difficulties  in  observing  the  innumerable  era- 
sures and  the  ridiculous  substitutions  which 
the  censors  made  in  our  lines.  The  words 
"God,"  "Redeemer,"  "Madonna,"  "angel," 
"  saint,"  "  pontiff,"  "  purple,"  "  monsignor," 
"priest,"  were  forbidden.  "Religion,"  "re- 
public," "unity,"  "French,"  "Jesuit,"  "Tar- 
tuffe,"  "foreigner,"  "patriot,"  were  equally  in 
the  Index.  The  colors  green,  white,  and  red 
were  prohibited ;  yellow  and  black  and  yel- 
low and  white  were  also  forbidden.  Flowers 
thrown  on  the  stage  must  not  show  any  of 
those  colors  prominently,  and  if  it  chanced 
that  one  actress  had  white  and  green  in  her 
dress,  another  who  wore  red  ribbon  must  not 
come  near  her.  If  we  transgressed  we  were 
not  punished  with  simple  warnings,  but  with 
so  many  days  of  arrest,  and  with  fines  which 
varied  in  amount  according  to  the  gravity  of 
the  offense.  I  remember  well  that  one  night 
when  I  played  the  Captain  in  Goldoni's 
"  Sposa  Sagace"  I  was  fined  ten  scudi  for 
wearing  a  blue  uniform  with  red  facings  and 
white  ornaments,  for  the  excellent  reason  that 
the  blue  looked  green  by  artificial  light. 

Another  time  our  leading  actress  was  play- 
ing Marie   Stuart,   and   had   to   receive  the 


68  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

dying  David  Rizzio  in  her  arms,  and  to  kiss 
him  on  the  forehead  just  as  he  drew  his  last 
breath.  I  had  to  pay  twenty  scudi  for  the 
kiss  I  had  received  without  being  aware  of  it ! 
The  priests  plainly  knew  their  own  minds, 
and  they  did  not  falter  in  chastising  the  err- 
ing. The  reader  can  well  imagine  the  effect 
upon  art  of  all  this  interference,  and  annoy- 
ance, and  torment.  Art,  indeed,  was  treated 
as  a  culprit.  Nevertheless,  the  public  con- 
tinued to  fill  our  house,  to  applaud,  and  to  be 
entertained;  and  it  had  then  a  much  truer 
feeling  for  artistic  beauty  than  it  has  to-day. 
The  artists,  too,  were  then  animated  in  the 
highest  degree  with  the  honor  that  should  be 
paid  to  a  profession  which,  whatever  else 
may  be  said  of  it,  is  eminently  instructive 
and  improving. 


HOW   THE    AUTHOR    STUDIED    HIS   ART 

THE  parts  in  which  I  won  the  most  sym- 
pathy from  the  Italian  public  were  those  of 
Oreste  in  the  tragedy  of  that  name,  Egisto 
in  "  Merope,"  Romeo  in  "  Giulietta  e  Romeo," 
Paolo  in  "  Francesca  da  Rimini,"  Rinaldo  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI     69 

"  Pia  di  Tolommei,"  Lord  Bonfield  in  "  Pa- 
mela," Domingo  in  the  "  Suonatrice  d'Arpa," 
and  Gian  Galeazzo  in  "  Lodovico  il  Moro." 
In  all  these  my  success  was  more  pronounced 
than  in  other  parts,  and  I  received  flattering 
marks  of  approval.  I  did  not  reflect,  at  that 
time,  of  how  great  assistance  to  me  it  was  to 
be  constantly  surrounded  by  first-rate  artists; 
but  I  soon  came  to  feel  that  an  atmosphere 
untainted  by  poisonous  microbes  promotes 
unoppressed  respiration,  and  that  in  such  an 
atmosphere  soul  and  body  maintain  them- 
selves healthy  and  vigorous.  I  observed  fre- 
quently in  the  "  scratch "  companies  which 
played  in  the  theaters  of  second  rank  young 
men  and  women  who  showed  very  notable 
artistic  aptitude,  but  who,  for  lack  of  culti- 
vation and  guidance,  ran  to  extravagance, 
over-emphasis,  and  exaggeration.  Up  to 
that  time,  while  I  had  a  clear  appreciation 
of  the  reasons  for  recognizing  defects  in 
others,  I  did  not  know  how  to  correct  my 
own ;  on  the  other  hand,  I  recognized  that 
the  applause  accorded  me  was  intended  as  an 
encouragement  more  than  as  a  tribute  which 
I  had  earned.  From  a  youth  of  pleasing 
qualities  (for  the  moment  I  quell  my  mod- 

5* 


70  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

esty),  with  good  features,  full  of  fire  and 
enthusiasm,  with  a  harmonious  and  powerful 
voice,  and  with  good  intellectual  faculties,  the 
public  deemed  that  an  artist  should  develop 
who  would  distinguish  himself,  and  perhaps 
attain  eminence  in  the  records  of  Italian  art; 
and  for  this  reason  it  sought  to  encourage 
me,  and  to  apply  the  spur  to  my  pride  by 
manifesting  its  feeling  of  sympathy.  By 
good  fortune,  I  had  enough  conscience  and 
good  sense  to  receive  this  homage  at  its  just 
value.  I  felt  the  need  of  studying,  not  books 
alone,  but  men  and  things,  vice  and  virtue, 
love  and  hate,  humility  and  haughtiness, 
gentleness  and  cruelty,  folly  and  wisdom, 
poverty  and  opulence,  avarice  and  lavishness, 
long-suffering  and  vengeance — in  short,  all 
the  passions  for  good  and  evil  which  have 
root  in  human  nature.  I  needed  to  study 
out  the  manner  of  rendering  these  passions 
in  accordance  with  the  race  of  the  men  in 
whom  they  were  exhibited,  in  accordance 
with  their  special  customs,  principles,  and 
education ;  I  needed  to  form  a  conception  of 
the  movement,  the  manner,  the  expressions 
of  face  and  voice  characteristic  of  all  these 
cases ;  I  must  learn  by  intuition  to  grasp  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     71 

characters  of  fiction,  and  by  study  to  repro- 
duce those  of  history  with  semblance  of  truth, 
seeking  to  give  to  every  one  a  personality 
distinct  from  every  other.  In  fine,  I  must 
become  capable  of  identifying  myself  with 
one  or  another  personage  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  lead  the  audience  into  the  illusion  that 
the  real  personage,  and  not  a  copy,  is  before 
them.  It  would  then  remain  to  learn  the 
mechanism  of  my  art;  that  is,  to  choose  the 
salient  points  and  to  bring  them  out,  to  cal- 
culate the  effects  and  keep  them  in  propor- 
tion with  the  unfolding  of  the  plot,  to  avoid 
monotony  in  intonation  and  repetition  in  ac- 
centuation, to  insure  precision  and  distinct- 
ness in  pronunciation,  the  proper  distribution 
of  respiration,  and  incisiveness  of  delivery. 
I  must  study;  study  again;  study  always. 
It  was  not  an  easy  thing  to  put  these  pre- 
cepts in  practice.  Very  often  I  forgot  them, 
carried  away  by  excitement,  or  by  the  su- 
perabundance of  my  vocal  powers;  indeed, 
until  I  had  reached  an  age  of  calmer  reflec- 
tion I  was  never  able  to  get  my  artistic 
chronometer  perfectly  regulated;  it  would 
always  gain  a  few  minutes  every  twenty-four 
hours. 


72  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  Ristori  entered  the 
Royal  Company  of  Turin,  while  I  remained 
with  Domeniconi  that  year  and  until  the  be- 
ginning of  1853.  During  those  two  years 
our  leading  lady  was  Amalia  Fumagalli,  a 
painstaking  actress,  whose  comic  face  and  in- 
elegant figure  were  drawbacks  to  her  —  com- 
pensated, however,  by  a  sweet  voice,  a  most 
moving  rendering  of  emotion,  a  dexterity  that 
was  beyond  belief,  and  a  most  uncommon 
degree  of  artistic  intuition.  If  Amalia  Fuma- 
galli had  been  beautiful,  she  would  undoubt- 
edly have  rivaled  the  best  actresses  of  the 
day,  and  particularly  so  in  comedy.  In  many 
parts  she  certainly  ranked  first;  and  espe- 
cially in  Scribe's  " Valerie,"  in  "Birichino 
di  Parigi,"  and  in  "Maria  Giovanna"  she  was 
inimitable.  Debarred  as  she  was  by  Nature 
from  that  gift  which  for  a  woman  has  most 
charm,  she  had  the  power  to  win  the  esteem 
and  affection  of  the  Italian  public. 


RACHEL 

AT  this  time  I  had  the  fortune  to  be  pres- 
ent at  a  few  representations  given  by  Rachel 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     73 

at  the  Teatro  Metastasio  in  Rome.  Her 
name  had  been  preceded  by  her  fame,  a  thing 
which  is  sometimes  of  assistance  to  an  artist, 
while  it  increases  greatly  his  responsibility, 
and  as  often  is  positively  harmful.  But  this 
was  not  so  with  Rachel.  What  can  I  say  of 
that  incomparable  French  actress  ?  She  was 
the  very  quintessence  of  the  art  of  Roscius ; 
to  render  due  praise  to  her  qualities  of  mind, 
as  well  as  to  those  of  face  and  form,  it  would 
be  necessary  to  coin  new  epithets  in  the  Ital- 
ian tongue.  Expression,  attitude,  the  mobile 
restraint  of  her  features,  grace,  dignity,  affec- 
tion, passion,  majesty  —  all  in  her  was  nature 
itself.  Her  eyes,  like  two  black  carbuncles, 
and  her  magnificent  raven  hair,  added  splen- 
dor to  a  face  full  of  life  and  feeling.  When 
she  was  silent  she  seemed  almost  more  elo- 
quent than  when  she  spoke.  Her  voice,  at 
once  sympathetic,  harmonious,  and  full  of 
variety,  expressed  the  various  passions  with 
correct  intonation  and  exemplary  measure. 
Her  motions  were  always  statuesque,  and 
never  seemed  studied.  If  Rachel  had  been 
able  to  free  herself  in  her  delivery  from 
the  cadence  traditional  in  the  Conservatoire, 
where  she  had  studied, — a  cadence  which,  it 


74  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

is  true,  cropped  out  but  rarely, — she  would, 
in  my  belief,  have  been  perfect.  She  was 
the  very  incarnation  of  Tragedy.  The  mo- 
notony of  the  rhyming  Alexandrine  verses 
was  not  suitable  to  her  gifts;  she  should  not 
have  been  compelled  to  speak  an  impover- 
ished, nasal,  uneven,  unmelodious  language 
like  the  French,  but  the  sonorous  measures 
of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome. 

Was  it  in  her  nature  or  in  her  art?  Both 
were  so  completely  harmonized  in  her  by  ge- 
nius as  to  form  a  new  Melpomene.  France, 
who  most  laudably  pays  honor  to  her  distin- 
guished children,  should  not  have  shared  in 
the  unjust  war  made  upon  Rachel  by  certain 
authors  and  journalists  under  the  contemp- 
tible promptings  of  spite  and  ill  temper, 
by  leaving  that  luminous  star  unheeded  to 
quench  itself  by  inches  in  languor  and  mel- 
ancholy. Her  merit  was  so  supreme  that  we 
can  well  pardon  some  slight  defects  in  her 
character — defects  which  were,  perhaps,  due 
to  the  malady  which  was  secretly  preying 
upon  her;  and  both  as  a  woman,  and  as  one 
who  was  a  real  honor  to  her  country,  she 
had  the  right  to  expect  more  indulgence  and 
higher  regard  from  the  proverbial  equity  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     75 

courtesy  of  the  French  people.  The  thought 
that  she  was  disliked  by  her  compatriots  ex- 
acerbated the  disease  which  brought  her  to 
the  grave.  Poor  Rachel !  May  the  compas- 
sion of  an  Italian  artist  reach  you  in  your 
eternal  abiding-place! 


FIRST    STUDY    OF   SHAKSPERE 

I  REMAINED  with  Domeniconi  for  two  years 
after  Ristori  left  us,  and  during  this  period 
I  busied  myself  with  reading  the  works  of 
Shakspere,  translated  into  Italian  verse  by 
Giulio  Carcano.  Although  the  name  of 
Shakspere  had  already  more  than  -once  at- 
tracted my  attention,  the  dubious  outcome 
of  the  experiments  of  several  meritorious 
artists  who  had  made  essay  of  him  had 
dissuaded  me  from  occupying  myself  over- 
much with  his  plays. 

At  that  time  the  quality  of  form  appeared 
so  important  to  me,  that  Voltaire  seemed  to 
be  more  acceptable  than  Shakspere,  and  I 
preferred  Orosmane  in  "  Zai're  "  to  the  Moor 
of  Venice.  The  haughty  and  impassioned 
sultan  possessed  me  heart  and  soul,  and  I 


76  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

awaited  with  impatience  the  opportunity  to 
portray  him.  The  character  appealed  to  me 
so  strongly  that  I  could  not  get  it  out  of  my 
thoughts,  and  it  kept  fusing  itself  with  the 
various  new  parts  for  which  I  was  cast  by 
my  director.  I  already  had  by  heart  some 
portions  of  Orosmanes  lines,  and  I  took  plea- 
sure in  declaiming  them  before  a  mirror,  with 
a  towel  wrapped  round  my  head  in  lieu  of  a 
turban  ;  and  at  the  start  I  found  some  effects 
which,  as  I  thought,  presaged  a  sure  success. 
I  wished,  however,  to  avoid  fixing  an  imma- 
ture conception  in  my  mind,  and  I  let  it  lie 
for  several  months,  so  that  I  might  form  fresh 
impressions  upon  taking  it  up  again.  There 
is  no  better  rule  in  art  than  not  to  permit 
one's  self  to  be  carried  away  by  a  first  im- 
pulse. When  time  is  taken  for  reflection, 
one's  conceptions  are  always  more  correct. 

It  was  my  aim  to  form  a  repertory  of  spe- 
cial parts  so  minutely  studied  and  rounded 
that  I  might  be  able  through  them  to  attain 
a  reputation. 

The  conditions  of  the  Italian  stage  at  that 
time  were  not  such  as  to  offer  me  the  means 
of  attaining  my  end.  Constrained  as  I  was 
to  busy  myself  with  a  new  part  every  week, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     77 

which,  though  often  I  did  not  know  the  text 
perfectly,  I  had  to  play  without  reflection, 
and  without  having  a  thorough  grasp  of  it, 
how  was  it  possible  for  me  to  prosecute  a 
serious  study  of  the  philosophy  and  psy- 
chology of  my  art  ?  I  resolved  to  accept  no 
engagement  for  the  coming  year  (1853),  and 
to  live  quietly  with  my  relatives  in  Florence 
with  a  view  to  carry  out  my  plan. 

Just  then  the  works  of  Shakspere  came 
again  into  my  hands,  and,  to  tell  the  truth, 
even  on  a  second  reading,  his  characters,  his 
conceptions,  and  his  form  seemed  to  me  so 
strange  that  I  was  still  in  doubt  whether  to 
occupy  myself  with  them.  Nevertheless,  the 
impression  that  I  received  was  a  strong  one, 
since  I  was  unable  to  drive  from  my  mind  the 
adventures  of  the  sad,  perplexed,  and  anguish- 
driven  Hamlet,  and  of  the  loyal,  generous,  and 
trusting  Othello.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
would  spend  my  time,  during  the  next  year, 
on  no  more  than  three  parts.  These  were 
Saul  and  Othello  in  the  tragedies  of  the  same 
names  by  Alfieri  and  Shakspere,  and  Oros- 
mane  in  Voltaire's  "Zaire,"  which  last  I  had 
already  gotten  into  pretty  good  shape.  With 
the  carnival  of  1853  ended  in  Bologna  my 


78  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

engagement  with  Domeniconi;  but  I  had  to 
stay  through  Lent  in  that  city  to  play  at  a 
match  in  billiards  which  I  had  begun  during 
the  season.  During  Lent  the  Zannoni  Com- 
pany came  to  the  Corso  Theater  in  Bologna, 
and  with  a  view  to  bettering  their  somewhat 
languishing  fortunes,  made  me  a  proposal  that 
I  should  appear  in  a  few  extra  performances. 
As  I  was  on  the  spot,  I  accepted  the  proposi- 
tion, a  little  out  of  vanity,  and  a  little  for  the 
sake  of  laying  up  a  few  more  scudi  for  the 
needs  of  my  coming  period  of  leisure.  One 
of  the  most  promising  plays  to  give  was  un- 
doubtedly "Zaire";  but  I  was  not  a  little 
awed  by  the  fame,  still  bright  in  that  city, 
won  as  Orosmane  by  the  celebrated  Lombardi. 
Lombardi  must  surely  have  been  an  artist 
of  great  merit  to  establish  himself  so  firmly 
in  the  popular  memory.  "  He  who  is  afraid 
goes  not  to  the  wars,"  said  I  to  myself,  and  I 
decided  to  seize  the  chance  to  give  the  play. 
I  began  my  series  with  "  Orestes,"  "  Der 
Spieler,"  by  Iffland,  "Orlando  Furioso,"  and 
Scribe's  "La  Calomnie."  I  did  not  possess 
the  costumes  for  Orosmane,  but  with  my  re- 
ceipts from  the  first  plays  I  was  able  to  fit  my- 
self out  with  dresses  at  once  rich  and  elegant. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     79 

On  the  appointed  evening  the  expectation 
of  the  audience  was  wrought  up  to  a  high 
pitch.  Nevertheless,  it  was  favorably  dis- 
posed; and  notwithstanding  that  in  the  last 
act  my  wide  Turkish  trousers  were  awkwardly 
disarranged  precisely  at  the  culminating  mo- 
ment of  the  tragedy,  it  was  a  splendid  success. 
Thus  one  of  the  three  parts  in  which  I  had 
determined  to  attain  superiority  had  already 
received  its  consecration. 

I  settled  myself  very  comfortably  with  my 
relatives  in  Florence,  and  laid  out  my  hours, 
— so  many  for  study  and  so  many  for  recrea- 
tion,—  keeping  myself  free  from  everything 
which  might  disturb  my  plans.  During  my 
frequent  walks  I  declaimed  my  parts  mentally; 
but  now  and  then  I  would  forget  myself,  and 
instantly  would  become  an  object  of  public 
curiosity.  Again  I  would  be  surprised  by 
some  passer-by  in  the  act  of  practising  a  ges- 
ture appropriate  to  the  personage  who  was 
occupying  my  mind,  and  I  doubt  not  that  I 
was  often  taken  for  a  lunatic.  Very  often 
I  would  seek  out-of-the-way  and  solitary 
places,  pushing  on  into  a  fir  wood  or  a  chest- 
nut grove,  where  my  only  audience  would  be 
the  birds.  A  gentleman  of  Ferrara,  who  was 


8o  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

fond  of  declamation,  having  asked  me  to  give 
him  lessons,  I  taught  him  Saul,  and  took  the 
opportunity  to  study  it  myself  at  the  same 
time.  This  was  the  only  part  in  my  master's 
repertory  of  tragedy  which  I  ventured  to  play, 
and  in  the  proper  place  I  will  explain  why. 
I  avoided  the  others,  fearing  lest  I  should  fol- 
low him  too  closely  or  do  less  well.  Those 
actors  whom  I  saw  devote  themselves  to  re- 
producing those  parts  awoke  my  disgust  or 
moved  me  to  ridicule;  and  when  sometimes 
I  heard  them  applauded  by  a  forgetful  or  ig- 
norant public,  I  became  indignant,  and  would 
gladly  have  protested.  I  shall  always  con- 
gratulate myself  upon  my  decision  to  free 
myself  for  that  year  from  the  monotonous 
routine  of  the  stage.  I  gained  in  this  way 
the  opportunity  to  reflect,  to  make  compari- 
sons, and  to  examine  into  my  defects.  I  im- 
posed upon  myself  a  new  method  of  study. 
While  I  was  busying  myself  with  the  part  of 
Saul,  I  read  and  re-read  the  Bible,  so  as  to 
become  impregnated  with  the  appropriate  sen- 
timents, manners,  and  local  color.  When  I 
took  up  Othello,  I  pored  over  the  history  of 
the  Venetian  Republic  and  that  of  the  Moor- 
ish invasion  of  Spain ;  I  studied  the  passions 


SALVINI  AS  "ICILIO"  IN   THE  "VIRGINIE"  OF  ALFIERI. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     81 

of  the  Moors,  their  art  of  war,  their  religious 
beliefs,  nor  did  I  overlook  the  romance  of 
Giraldi  Cinthio,  in  order  the  better  to  master 
that  sublime  character.  I  did  not  concern 
myself  about  a  superficial  study  of  the  words, 
or  of  some  point  of  scenic  effect,  or  of  greater 
or  less  accentuation  of  certain  phrases  with  a 
view  to  win  passing  applause  ;  a  vaster  hori- 
zon opened  out  before  me — an  infinite  sea  on 
which  my  bark  could  navigate  in  security, 
without  fear  of  falling  in  with  reefs. 


FAULTS    IN    ACTING 

IN  my  assiduous  reading  of  the  classics, 
the  chief  places  were  held  among  the  Greeks 
by  the  masculine  and  noble  figures  of  Hector, 
Achilles,  Theseus,  CEdipus ;  among  the  Scots 
by  Trenmor,  Fingal,  Cuchullin;  and  among 
the  Romans  by  Caesar,  Brutus,  Titus,  and 
Cato.  These  characters  influenced  me  to 
incline  toward  a  somewhat  bombastic  system 
of  gesticulation  and  a  turgid  delivery.  My 
anxiety  to  enter  to  the  utmost  into  the  con- 
ceptions of  my  authors,  and  to  interpret  them 
clearly,  disposed  me  to  exaggerate  the  modu- 


82  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

lations  of  my  voice  like  some  mechanism 
which  responds  to  every  touch,  not  reflecting 
that  the  abuse  of  this  effort  would  bring  me 
too  near  to  song.  Precipitation  in  delivery, 
too,  which  when  carried  too  far  destroys  all 
distinctness  and  incisiveness,  was  due  to  my 
very  high  impressionability,  and  the  straining 
after  technical  scenic  effects.  Thus,  extreme 
vehemence  in  anger  would  excite  me  to  the 
point  of  forgetting  the  fiction,  and  cause  me 
to  commit  involuntarily  lamentable  outbursts. 
Hence  I  applied  myself  to  overcome  the 
tendency  to  singsong  in  my  voice,  the  exu- 
berance of  my  rendering  of  passion,  the 
exclamatory  quality  of  my  phrasing,  the  pre- 
cipitation of  my  pronunciation,  and  the  swag- 
ger of  my  motions. 

I  shall  be  asked  how  the  public  could  abide 
me,  with  all  these  defects ;  and  I  answer  that 
the  defects,  though  numerous,  were  so  little 
prominent  that  they  passed  unobserved  by 
the  mass  of  the  public,  which  always  views 
broadly,  and  could  be  detected  only  by  the 
acute  and  searching  eye  of  the  intelligent 
critic.  I  make  no  pretense  that  I  was  able  to 
correct  myself  all  at  once.  Sometimes  my 
impetuosity  would  carry  me  away,  and  not 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI    83 

until  I  had  come  to  mature  age  was  I  able  to 
free  myself  to  any  extent  from  this  failing. 
Then  I  confirmed  myself  in  my  opinion  that 
the  applause  of  the  public  is  not  all  refined 
gold,  and  I  became  able  to  separate  the  gold 
from  the  dross  in  the  crucible  of  intelligence. 
How  many  on  the  stage  are  content  with  the 
dross ! 


THE    DESIRE   TO    EXCEL   IN    EVERYTHING 

MY  desire  to  improve  in  my  art  had  its 
origin  in  an  instinctive  impulse  to  rise  above 
mediocrity — an  instinct  that  must  have  been 
born  in  me,  since,  when  still  a  little  boy,  I 
used  to  put  forth  all  my  energies  to  eclipse 
what  I  saw  accomplished  by  my  companions 
of  like  age.  When  I  was  sixteen,  and  at  Na- 
ples, there  were  in  the  boarding-house,  at 
two  francs  and  a  half  a  day,  two  young  men 
who  were  studying  music  and  singing,  and  to 
surpass  them  in  their  own  field  I  practised 
the  scales  until  I  could  take  B  natural.  Later 
on,  when  the  tone  of  my  voice  had  lowered 
to  the  barytone,  impelled  always  by  my  de- 
sire to  accomplish  something,  I  took  lessons 


84  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

in  music  from  the  maestro  Terziani,  and  ap- 
peared at  a  benefit  with  the  famous  tenor 
Boucarde,  and  Signora  Monti,  the  soprano, 
and  sang  in  a  duet  from  "  Belisario,"  the 
aria  from  " Maria  di  Rohan,"  and  "La  Setti- 
mana  d'Amore,"  by  Niccolai;  and  I  venture 
to  say  that  I  was  not  third  best  in  that  triad. 
But  I  recognized  that  singing  and  declama- 
tion were  incompatible  pursuits,  since  the 
method  of  producing  the  voice  is  totally  dif- 
ferent, and  they  must  therefore  be  mutually 
harmful.  Financially,  I  was  not  in  a  condi- 
tion to  be  free  to  choose  between  the  two 
careers,  and  I  persevered  of  necessity  in  the 
dramatic  profession.  Whether  my  choice  was 
for  the  best  I  do  not  know;  it  is  certain  that 
if  my  success  had  been  in  proportion  to  my 
love  of  music,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  it  might  have  been,  I  should  not  have 
remained  in  obscurity. 

My  organization  was  well  suited,  too,  for 
success  in  many  bodily  exercises.  When  I 
wanted  to  learn  to  swim,  I  jumped  from  a 
height  into  the  sea  out  of  my  depth,  and 
soon  became  a  swimmer;  I  took  a  fancy  to 
dancing,  and  perfected  myself  to  such  good 
purpose  that  I  was  always  in  favor  as  a  part- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     85 

ner;  I  wanted  to  be  a  good  swordsman,  and 
for  five  years  I  handled  the  foils  assiduously, 
and  took  part  in  public  exhibitions  for  the 
benefit  of  my  teachers.  In  like  manner  I 
became  one  of  the  best  billiard-players  in 
Italy,  and  so  good  a  horseman  that  no  horse 
could  unseat  me.  My  muscular  strength, 
fostered  by  constant  exercise,  was  such  that 
with  one  arm  I  could  lift  a  man  seated  in  a 
chair  and  place  him  on  a  billiard-table.  I 
could  sew  and  embroider,  and  make  any  quan- 
tity of  pretty  little  trifles,  and  I  used  to  devise 
new  games  that  gave  pleasure  to  numbers  of 
my  friends.  Everything  that  I  tried  succeeded 
at  least  moderately  well,  not  from  any  personal 
merit  of  my  own,  but  owing  to  the  happy 
disposition  conferred  upon  me  by  nature. 

As  to  my  character,  I  must  confess  that 
I  was  somewhat  positive.  I  was  extremely 
high-strung,  and  took  offense  at  an  equivocal 
word  or  a  dubious  look.  Though  apparently 
self-controlled,  I  was  very  violent  when  my 
anger  was  awakened.  I  was  patient  in  a 
very  high  degree,  but  firm  and  resolute  in 
my  decisions.  I  was  constant  when  once  my 
affection  was  seriously  given,  but  changeable 
in  my  sympathies.  Friendship  was  a  religion 


86  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

for  me,  and  notwithstanding  frequent  decep- 
tions, I  have  always  remained  an  affectionate 
friend.  Titles  of  nobility  have  never  dazzled 
me;  I  have  always  admired  the  true  gentle- 
man, and  venerated  the  man  of  real  talent. 
The  sentiment  of  revenge  never  developed  in 
me,  but  that  of  contempt  assumed  great  pro- 
portions. I  have  never  felt  envy  of  any  one, 
but  I  have  sought  to  emulate  those  I  have 
admired.  I  have  sought  for  money,  not  for 
the  sake  of  riches,  but  as  a  means  of  inde- 
pendence. I  have  done  much  good  to  my 
fellows,  and  -have  received  evil  in  return.  I 
have  thought  much  for  others,  and  have  made 
little  provision  for  myself;  in  that  little  I  in- 
clude the  leaden  case  destined  to  receive  my 
bones. 


THE    CHOLERA    IN    BOLOGNA 

IN  1854  I  became  a  member  of  the  As- 
tolfi  company,  of  which  Carolina  Santoni 
was  leading  lady,  and  Gaspare  Fieri  the 
brillante.  Carolina  Santoni  had  a  disagree- 
ment with  our  manager,  Astolfi,  and  left  the 
company  in  the  middle  of  the  year;  her  place 
was  supplied  by  Gaspare  Pieri's  wife,  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     87 

charming  Giuseppina  Casali-Pieri,  who  had 
some  talent  in  comedy. 

We  went  to  Bologna  just  as  the  cholera  was 
beginning  to  appear  there ;  it  was  threatening 
at  the  same  time  several  other  cities  in  Italy. 
I  advised  all  to  leave  Bologna  at  once,  and 
to  go  to  some  place  that  was  free  from  infec- 
tion ;  but  neither  manager  nor  company  would 
accept  my  advice,  being  unwilling  to  incur  the 
unforeseen  expense  of  a  new  journey.  To 
mask  their  stinginess,  they  declared  that  my 
advice  was  dictated  by  fear,  and  Astolfi  di- 
verted himself  hugely  at  my  expense,  and 
ridiculed  the  timidity  of  my  proposition.  In 
the  mean  time  the  disease  was  becoming 
more  and  more  serious,  and  one  day  when 
I  saw  an  expression  of  grave  anxiety  on  the 
faces  of  my  late  opponents,  I  said  to  them: 
"  You  refused  my  advice,  and  said  that  it  was 
due  to  my  being  afraid.  Now  all  I  have  to 
say  to  you  is  that  I  shall  be  the  last  of  us  all 
to  leave  Bologna."  Soon  the  victims  of  the 
pestilence  numbered  500  a  day.  The  city 
was  in  consternation,  and  business  was  for- 
gotten or  neglected.  At  many  street-corners 
temporary  altars  were  set  up,  and  the  people 
would  kneel  down  before  them  and  pray,  and 


88  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

seek  to  conjure  away  the  danger.  One  night 
I  myself  stumbled  over  the  body  of  a  person 
who  had  been  suddenly  stricken  down.  In 
a  short  time  the  city  became  a  desert,  and 
only  then  did  my  companions  decide  to  go 
away.  They  hired  carriages  by  the  day  to 
make  the  journey ;  and  when  they  had  all 
gone,  I  took  a  place  in  the  public  coach,  and 
reached  Leghorn  before  them.  Our  manager, 
Astolfi,  upon  his  arrival  at  Pistoja,  was  taken 
with  the  epidemic,  and  lost  his  life. 

I  received  a  most  advantageous  offer  for 
1856  from  the  jovial  and  courteous,  but  none 
the  less  able,  actor  and  manager,  Cesare 
Dondini.  After  Luigi  Vestri,  this  actor  was 
the  most  faithful  follower  of  the  school  of 
truth.  The  very  sight  of  him  put  one  in  good 
humor;  the  geniality  of  his  disposition  even 
influenced  the  audience,  and  made  everybody 
in  the  house  feel  happy,  no  matter  how  diverse 
were  the  parts  which  he  played.  He  was  a 
very  pearl  of  a  man,  and  a  model  manager. 

A  most  brilliant  comet  was  just  then  rising 
on  the  artistic  horizon.  Clementina  Cazzola 
was  born  under  the  patronage  of  art;  as  a 
little  girl  she  was  called  an  infant  prodigy. 
She  was  the  child  of  artists  of  humble  rank, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     89 

but  nature  had  endowed  her  with  the  senti- 
ment of  the  beautiful ;  and  as  the  workman 
extracts  the  carbuncle  from  the  rock,  so  did 
Cesare  Dondini  raise  from  obscurity  that 
precious  gem  of  the  purest  water.  Her  in- 
terpretation of  her  characters  was  faithful 
and  exquisitely  subtle,  and  the  most  minute 
analysis  of  every  profound  emotion  was  ren- 
dered by  her  with  exactness  and  truth.  Her 
eyes  were  like  two  black  diamonds  emitting 
beams  of  light,  and  seemed  quickly  to  pene- 
trate to  the  very  soul  of  him  upon  whom  she 
fixed  them,  and  to  read  his  inmost  thoughts. 
In  the  "Dame  aux  Camelias"  she  was  be- 
witching; in  the  tragedy  of  "Saffo,"  by  Ma- 
renco,  she  was  admirable ;  in  "  Pia  de  Tolom- 
mei"  she  was  sublime.  In  this  last  tragedy, 
especially,  she  reached  such  a  pitch  of  per- 
fection that  it  seemed  a  miracle.  I  am  most 
happy  to  render  to  this  incomparable  actress 
a  small  part  of  that  homage  which  the  Italian 
public  lavished  upon  her.  We  all  deplored 
her  early  death  in  July,  1858. 

While  I  was  still  with  the  Dondini  com- 
pany, the  distinguished  tragic  poet  G.  B. 
Niccolini  intrusted  to  me  the  production  of 
his  "CEdipus  at  Colonos,"  and  it  met  every- 


9o  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

where  with  a  favorable  reception.  Other 
works,  more  or  less  worthy,  came  at  this 
time  to  distract  my  attention  from  the  studies 
of  my  choice;  but  these  transient  interrup- 
tions really  contributed  to  ripen  those  studies. 
I  could  not  deviate  from  my  purpose  to  form 
a  special  repertory  for  myself,  and  I  had 
already  made  a  beginning  with  "Zai're,"  the 
"Suonatrice  d'Arpa,"  "Oreste,"  "Saul,"  and 
my  study  of  "  Othello." 


OTHELLO 

THIS  last  play  I  was  able  to  put  on  the 
stage  at  Vicenza  in  June,  1856,  with  Clemen- 
tina Cazzola  as  the  most  perfect  type  of  Des- 
demona  that  could  ever  be  wished  for.  The 
usual  conception  Q{ Desdemona  is  as  a  blonde, 
with  blue  eyes  and  a  rosy  complexion, — per- 
haps because  in  his  pictures  Titian  preferred 
that  type,  and  cultivated  variety  in  his  colors 
and  half-tints, — but  for  all  that,  it  is  not  less 
true  that  the  Venetian  type  is  represented  by 
dark  eyes,  black  hair,  and  skin  of  alabaster. 
In  Venice  ruddy-haired  women  are  no  more 
usual  than  those  with  jet-black  hair  in  Eng- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     91 

land.  That  excellent  artist,  Lorenzo  Picci- 
nini,  filled  most  adequately  the  part  of  lago. 
The  material  of  the  company  was  excellent; 
every  care  had  been  taken  with  the  costumes, 
which  were  faultless;  suitable  scenery  had 
been  prepared  by  a  scene-painter  of  ability, 
and  the  production  of  Shakspere's  play  was 
awaited  with  lively  interest.  It  was  the  night 
of  my  benefit,  and  abundant  and  prolonged 
applause  was  given  in  greeting  to  the  artist; 
but  it  was  the  first  time  that  a  tragedy  of  that 
type  had  been  seen  in  Vicenza;  hence  popu- 
lar judgment  wavered  as  to  the  worth  of  the 
work.  It  would  be  unfair  to  lay  this  too 
heavily  to  the  charge  of  a  public  accustomed 
to  the  observance  of  the  Aristotelian  limits 
of  classic  tragedy.  It  is  not  the  little  band 
of  intelligent  persons  that  we  have  to  con- 
vince, but  the  mass  of  the  public. 

From  Vicenza  we  went  to  Venice,  and  our 
rendering  of  " Othello"  met  with  the  same 
reception  there.  There  was  applause,  there 
were  calls  before  the  curtain,  an  ovation  even  ; 
but  the  people,  as  they  left  the  house,  said, 
"This  is  not  the  kind  of  thing  for  us."  While 
that  pale  imitation,  Voltaire's  "Zai're,"  was 
lauded  to  the  skies,  thanks  to  its  irreproach- 


92  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

able  form,  " Othello"  did  not  appeal  to  the 
taste  of  the  Venetians.  It  will  easily  be  be- 
lieved that  I  made  little  account  of  this  mis- 
taken judgment,  and  repeated  the  play  several 
times,  until  at  last  they  found  "some  good" 
in  it.  At  Rome  I  forced  the  play  on  public 
favor.  A  sure  sign  that  it  commanded  inter- 
est was  that  there  was  always  a  full  house. 
It  was  not  to  their  taste,  it  is  true,  but  they 
could  not  stay  away.  For  four  seasons  I 
always  selected  that  play  for  my  benefit.  The 
first  time  people  blamed  me;  the  second,  they 
began  to  be  interested;  the  third,  they  were 
pleased;  and  after  that  every  time  that  I  went 
to  Rome  they  asked  me  how  soon  I  should 
give  "  Othello." 

HAMLET 

I  BECAME  so  much  enamored  of  the  great 
English  dramatist,  that  I  was  constrained  to 
neglect  somewhat  the  classic  school,  though 
I  still  held  it  in  warm  affection,  in  order  to 
occupy  myself  with  a  character  extravagant 
indeed,  but  nevertheless  full  of  attraction — 
that  of  Hamlet.  I  chose  the  translations  by 
Giulio  Carcano  as  the  most  in  accord  with 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    TOMMASO   SALVINI     93 

my  taste,  and  for  a  fixed  yearly  payment  he 
ceded  to  me  " Othello"  and  all  his  other 
translations  and  abridgments  from  Shakspere. 
In  the  eyes  of  the  public  my  form  seemed  too 
colossal  for  Hamlet.  The  adipose,  lymphatic, 
and  asthmatic  thinker  of  Shakspere  must 
change  himself,  according  to  the  popular 
imagination,  into  a  slender,  romantic,  and 
nervous  figure;  and  although  my  Hamlet  was 
judged  more  than  flatteringly  by  the  most 
authoritative  critics,  and  by  the  first  dramatic 
artist  of  that  day,  it  will  always  take  rank 
after  my  Othello.  I  do  not  know  whether  I 
should  felicitate  myself  upon  having  incar- 
nated that  son  of  Mauritania;  sure  it  is  that 
he  has  done  some  injury  to  other  personifica- 
tions of  my  repertory,  though  not  less  care- 
fully elaborated.  I  am  bound  to  declare 
that  Hamlet,  Orestes,  Saul,  King  Lear,  and 
Corrado  in  "La  Morte  Civile,"  cost  me  no 
less  study  or  application  than  Othello,  and 
that  my  artistic  conscience  has  never  doubted 
that  there  was  full  as  much  merit  in  my  in- 
terpretation of  those  characters  as  in  that  of 
the  other.  Nevertheless,  Othello  has  always 
been  the  favorite  and  the  best  applauded, 
Othello  is  a  sight-draft,  which  the  public  h; 


94  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

paid  promptly  every  time  that  it  has  been 
presented. 

SOPHOCLES 

THE  reader  who  has  become  accustomed  to 
my  small  modesty  will  permit  me  to  make  an- 
other assertion.  The  part  in  which  I  have  the 
least  fault  to  find  with  myself  is  that  of  Sofocle, 
in  the  drama  in  verse  of  the  same  name  by 
Paolo  Giacometti.  The  play  was  written  ex- 
pressly for  me ;  and  I  venture  to  say  that  the 
emotions  of  that  grandiose  figure  are  modeled 
so  well  upon  my  capabilities  that  his  spoils 
would  ill  become  any  other  artist.  Yet  that 
name,  venerated  as  poet  and  as  citizen,  cannot 
boast  that  it  ever  drew  a  full  house.  Those 
who  came  were  always  full  of  enthusiasm;  but 
though  I  tried  it  repeatedly,  the  audience  was 
always  scanty,  and  this  notwithstanding  that 
the  play  is  one  of  the  most  meritorious  that 
have  been  written  in  this  century. 


SAMSON 

ANOTHER  work  was  written  expressly  for 
me  by  Ippolito  d'Aste  — "  Sansone,"  a  bibli- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     95 

cal  tragedy,  rich  in  noble  verses,  striking  in  its 
conception,  and  of  incontestable  scenic  effec- 
tiveness, but  beyond  a  doubt,  as  a  philosophi- 
cal and  literary  production,  much  inferior  to 
"Sofocle."  Yet  the  preeminent  Greek  poet 
was  forced,  by  the  capriciousness  and  injus- 
tice of  the  public,  to  yield  the  primacy  to  the 
biblical  hero.  This  play,  too,  became  a  spe- 
cialty of  my  repertory.  I  must,  however, 
acknowledge  that  my  athletic  figure  and 
powerful  muscles,  and  the  strength  of  my 
voice,  had  their  part  in  the  great  success  of 
this  play.  It  is  idle  to  deny  that  for  certain 
parts  appropriate  physical  and  vocal  qualities 
are  indispensable,  and  are  an  inseparable 
factor  in  success.  It  is  an  illusion  that  in  the 
representative  arts  intelligence  and  talent 
are  alone  sufficient  to  win  a  great  reputa- 
tion. The  singer  may  possess  an  admirable 
method,  facility  in  trilling,  perfection  in  into- 
nation ;  but  if  he  has  not  also  a  fine  and 
powerful  voice,  he  will  never  rise  above  me- 
diocrity. The  public  demands,  in  addition  to 
talent,  physical  presence ;  in  addition  to  art,  a 
sympathetic  and  unlabored  sonority  of  voice. 
If  there  is  deficiency  in  one  or  another  natural 
gift,  attention  becomes  dulled,  enthusiasm  is 


96  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

not  aroused,  and  the  public  sets  one  down  in 
the  category  of  the  intelligent  and  worthy, 
but  not  in  that  of  the  eminent. 

And  this  is  not  an  injustice,  for  one  is  in 
no  way  constrained  to  join  a  profession  of 
which  the  demands  are  so  exacting.  The 
public  has  not  forced  you  to  put  yourself  in 
a  position  where  you  must  beg  for  its  indul- 
gence, or  to  expose  yourself  in  an  endeavor 
which  is  beyond  your  strength.  Those  in- 
complete artists  are  unjust  who  rail  at  the 
coolness  of  the  public,  at  the  sharpness  of 
the  critic.  Such  characters  as  Saul,  Samson, 
and  Ingomar  demand  an  imposing  form  and 
a  masculine  and  powerful  voice,  and  since 
nature  had  favored  me  with  these  material 
advantages,  I  was  able  for  long  to  couple 
my  name  with  those  of  the  biblical  king,  the 
hero  of  the  Jews,  and  the  barbarian. 


IN  PARIS 

WHEN  I  had  become  in  fair  measure  sat- 
isfied with  my  rendering  of  Orosmane  in 
"Zai're,"  of  Saul,  and  of  Othello,  I  persuaded 
my  friend  and  associate  Cesare  Dondini  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     97 

try  our  fortune  at  the  Salle  Ventadour  in 
Paris.  I  carried  only  my  art  with  me,  and 
in  that  mare  magnum  of  all  earthly  celebrities 
this  proved  to  be  a  rather  scant  capital.  In 
Paris,  no  doubt,  true  merit  is  appreciated ; 
but  if  one  has  not  the  means  of  presenting 
his  merit  along  with  a  pretty  liberal  dose  of 
charlatanism,  it  is  offered  to  deaf  ears,  and 
the  few  who  do  appreciate  it  are  swallowed 
up  in  the  indifference  of  the  vast  majority. 
Well,  we  arrived  in  Paris,  and,  thinking  to 
flatter  the  national  pride,  we  chose  Voltaire's 
"Zaire"  for  our  first  production.  Our  chief 
actress,  Clementina  Cazzola,  was  frightened 
by  Ristori's  great  success,  and  declined  to 
accompany  us  on  this  venture;  all  her  parts 
were  accordingly  intrusted  to  a  conscientious 
young  actress,  Alfonsina  Aliprandi,  who  filled 
them  with  credit.  Orosmane  was  acclaimed, 
Zaire  applauded,  Lusignan  (Lorenzo  Picci- 
nini)  praised ;  but  the  play  had  lived  its  time, 
the  classic  type  was  in  decadence,  and  our 
choice  of  a  piece  was  criticized.  We  promptly 
produced  "Saul."  This  sublime  composition 
was  pronounced  by  the  Gallic  critics  heavy, 
dry,  arid,  incomprehensible.  May  Heaven 
pardon  them!  They  were  incapable  of  un- 


98  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

derstanding  it.  I  convinced  myself  that  this 
was  really  the  case  when  I  went  to  look  for 
a  French  translation  of  "  Saul,"  in  order  to 
have  librettos  prepared  to  promote  apprecia- 
tion of  it,  and  found  that  fine  opening,  "Bell1 
alba  e  questa,"  rendered,  "Oh,  quelle  belle 
matinee!"  I  became  even  more  convinced 
when  Alexandre  Dumas,  fere,  maintained 
that  Alfieri  should  have  made  his  Saul  a 
young  man,  and  not  an  old  one.  If  an  acute, 
many-sided,  imaginative  talent  like  that  was 
capable  of  making  so  nonsensical  an  exhibi- 
tion of  itself,  it  can  easily  be  imagined  what 
the  smaller  fry  said.  Thus  "Saul"  shared  the 
fate  of  "Zaire."  There  was  applause,  and 
there  were  flattering  notices,  but  the  play 
would  not  draw.  As  our  last  anchor  of 
safety,  we  tried  "Othello."  Shakspere  was 
the  fashion,  and  even  I  became  the  fashion, 
too !  Paris  was  moved ;  and  according  to 
her  wont,  being  moved,  she  went  into  a  state 
of  exultation.  The  Anglo-Saxon  sojourners 
came,  too ;  the  journalists  were  forced  (I  say 
forced,  because  they  did  it  greatly  against 
their  wish)  to  fall  into  line  with  the  general 
appreciation,  to  float  with  the  current,  and  to 
bring  themselves  to  do  me  justice.  "Othello" 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     99 

paid  the  expenses  of  our  season.  The  most 
generous  praises  were  lavished  on  the  artists ; 
in  especial  a  demonstration  was  made  by  the 
Comedie  Frangaise,  which  decided,  in  order 
to  do  honor  to  the  Italian  actor,  that  on  the 
night  of  his  benefit  several  of  its  actors  and 
actresses  should  take  part  in  the  representa- 
tion. I  must  admit  that  if  the  French  once 
begin  to  be  agreeable,  they  do  not  stop  half- 
way ;  and  it  was  no  small  achievement  to  have 
interested  the  manager  and  the  artists  of  that 
model  playhouse. 

At  this  time  I  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
a  lady  who  wields  much  influence  among  the 
publishing  enterprises  of  North  America,  and 
she  urged  me  to  go  to  New  York ;  she  said 
that  she  was  sure  I  should  have  great  suc- 
cess there,  particularly  in  "  Othello,"  and  pro- 
mised me  that  I  could  count  on  her  friendly 
interest  as  a  guaranty  of  a  favorable  out- 
come. I  hesitated,  however,  because  of  the 
length  of  the  journey,  of  my  usual  diffidence 
as  to  my  own  ability,  and,  above  all,  of  the 
exiguity  of  my  finances.  What  means  had  I 
to  fall  back  on  in  the  event  of  a  disaster? 
I  thanked  the  amiable  lady,  and  dismissed 
the  thought. 


ioo  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

A  thousand  testimonials  of  esteem  and 
sympathy  followed,  which  it  would  be  tedi- 
ous to  set  forth  here.  Through  these,  as  by 
an  electric  flash,  knowledge  of  our  success 
was  disseminated  in  Italy,  and  offers  of  new 
and  advantageous  engagements  pelted  Don- 
dini  like  hail.  In  his  function  as  manager 
he  accepted  one  of  these  for  Sicily,  compris- 
ing the  three  chief  cities  of  the  island;  and 
the  results  of  that  year  were  highly  profit- 
able for  our  association.  So  it  is  that  with  in- 
crease of  fame  comes  increase  of  funds  also  ! 

Upon  our  return  to  Italy,  Signora  Cazzola 
resumed  her  post  in  the  company. 

We  next  went  to  Sicily,  opening  at  Ca- 
tania. The  four  years  that  I  passed  with 
Cesare  Dondini  were  the  most  advantageous 
of  my  career  to  my  artistic  reputation.  The 
public,  and  more  than  the  public,  my  col- 
leagues, conceded  to  me  the  palm  in  the 
rendering  of  several  parts.  They  affirmed 
that  I  had  no  rival  as  Orestes,  as  Orosmane, 
as  Saul,  in  the  "Morte  Civile,"  in  the  "Suo- 
natrice  d'Arpa,"  as  Sansone,  in  "  Pamela," 
and  finally  as  Othello.  This  judgment,  though 
of  much  weight,  did  not  quench  entirely  my 
ardent  desire  to  make  myself  a  specialist  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    101 

still  other  plays.  At  the  end  of  my  service 
with  the  Dondini  company,  I  was  engaged 
as  chief  actor  for  the  Compagnia  Reale  de' 
Fiorentini  of  Naples  from  the  first  day  of 
Lent  in  the  year  1860.  I  found  but  small 
change  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  theater 
after  my  fifteen  years  of  absence.  Almost 
all  those  who  had  been  attached  to  it  in 
1845  were  still  there.  The  celebrated  char- 
acter-actor Luigi  Taddei,  who  had  joined 
the  company  ten  years  before,  had  become 
old  and  rather  infirm,  and,  though  always  ad- 
mirable, appeared  but  seldom.  Only  Fanny 
Sadowsky,  though  advanced  in  age,  retained 
the  spirit  and  energy  of  the  fair  days  of  her 
triumphs.  In  fine,  the  walls  of  the  establish- 
ment had  received  a  coat  of  whitewash,  but 
the  foundations  were  the  same.  The  quality  of 
the  public,  too,  was  unchanged  in  that  hun- 
dred-year-old theater.  There  were  still  those 
families  who  subscribed  for  their  seats  by  the 
year,  and  who  inserted  in  their  marriage- 
contracts,  as  one  of  the  conditions,  a  box  at 
the  Fiorentini  for  the  bride.  It  was  once 
their  cherished  pleasure  to  create  or  destroy 
the  reputation  of  those  who  came  before  their 
supreme  tribunal. 


102  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

At  that  time  the  company,  subsidized  by 
the  Bourbon  government,  still  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  playing  in  that  theater  without 
competition,  whence  arose  a  Chinese  wall 
between  the  actors  of  that  company  and  all 
others  of  the  peninsula;  so  that  if  any  of 
them  happened  to  leave  Naples  for  Florence, 
for  instance,  they  would  ask  him  whether  he 
was  going  to  Italy !  Nevertheless,  the  report 
of  my  success  had  broken  through  the  pro- 
tecting wall,  and  curiosity  was  at  a  high  pitch. 
Prepiani  and  Monti  were  dead,  and  Adamo 
Alberti  alone  remained  as  director  of  the  en- 
terprise ;  and  as  I  could  remain  only  one  year 
at  Naples,  he  had  already  secured  my  suc- 
cessor. Upon  my  arrival  in  Naples,  Alberti 
asked  me,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of 
my  contract,  which  gave  me  the  right  of 
choice,  with  what  play  I  wished  to  begin, 
and  I  indicated  "Zaire."  But  they  had  no 
scenery  for  "Zaire,"  and  it  would  hardly  do 
to  be  content  with  a  makeshift.  "All  right," 
said  •  I ;  "  we  will  take  the  *  Suonatrice 
d'Arpa.'"  But  in  that  play  Signora  Sadow- 
sky  had  not  yet  mastered  her  part.  "Very 
well;  then  I  will  give  'Oreste."  But  Bozzo, 
who  was  cast  for  Pilade,  happened  just  then 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    103 

to  be  ill.  " Excellent,"  said  I;  "in  that  case 
I  '11  play  whatever  you  like."  I  divined  very 
clearly  the  motive  for  this  spirit  of  opposi- 
tion. The  good  man  had  engaged  for  the 
next  three  years  an  actor  by  the  name  of 
Achille  Majeroni,  and  he  was  afraid  that 
too  marked  a  success  on  my  part  might  be 
hurtful  to  his  speculation  with  my  successor. 
Finally  he  proposed  to  me  to  open  with 
Goldoni's  " Pamela";  but  the  Pamela  could 
not  be  Fanny  Sadowsky.  "  How  's  that?" 
said  I;  "do  you  want  a  tragedian  to  begin 
his  season  with  a  comedy,  and  without  the 
support  of  the  leading  lady  at  that?  Well, 
let  us  have  it  so ! "  He  was  delighted  with 
my  answer,  which  certainly  he  had  not  ex- 
pected, and  made  haste  to  announce  my  first 
appearance  in  "  Pamela,"  as  happy  as  if  he 
had  won  in  three  numbers  at  the  lottery. 
Many  were  surprised  at  this  choice  of  a  play, 
and  to  the  many  who  remonstrated  with  me 
I  made  answer  that  I  would  not  set  out  with 
grumbling  at  my  manager;  that  in  order  to 
get  first  to  the  goal  in  a  long  race  it  was 
better  to  begin  to  run  slowly,  rather  than  to 
start  off  at  the  highest  speed,  with  the  risk  of 
finishing  second. 


104  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

On  the  appointed  evening  the  size  and  qual- 
ity of  our  house  were  imposing.  The  court 
and  the  first  literary  and  artistic  notabilities 
were  there.  The  friends  of  the  old  actors 
had  their  guns  cocked  and  primed ;  the  jour- 
nalists and  pseudo-authors  with  whom  Na- 
ples abounds  were  all  under  arms,  and  more 
disposed  to  find  fault  than  to  praise.  I  had 
before  me  the  double  task  of  routing  the  old 
fogies  of  1845,  and  of  being  equal  to  the 
exaggerated  renown  that  had  preceded  me ; 
in  short,  I  had  serious  difficulties  to  over- 
come, and  at  the  same  time  I  had  against  me 
the  inveterate  bad  taste  of  that  public,  which 
is  not  offended  by  a  conventional  cadence  in 
phrasing,  by  monotony  of  delivery,  and  by 
gestures  and  motions  worthy  of  Punchinello. 
I  was  not  in  the  least  nervous  in  face  of  this 
serious  and  really  difficult  undertaking.  My 
pulse  did  not  count  one  beat  more  than  the 
normal.  I  neither  looked  at  the  house,  nor 
even  saw  it  by  chance;  I  identified  myself 
entirely  with  the  personage  whose  part  I  was 
playing  (Lord  Bonfield),  and  I  made  such  an 
impression  on  that  rather  hostile  audience, 
that  at  the  end  of  every  act  it  showed  me, 
first  favor,  then  admiration,  and  finally  enthu- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI    105 

siasm.  When  I  came  to  the  scene  in  which 
Pamelas  father,  who  is  thought  to  be  a  vil- 
lager, reveals  his  true  rank  to  Lord  Bonfield, 
and  tells  him  his  story,  declaring  himself  to  be 
a  count  and  proving  it  by  authenticated  docu- 
ments, whence  it  results  that  his  daughter 
Pamela  is  worthy  to  become  the  consort  of 
the  aristocratic  and  impassioned  Lord  Bon- 
field)  I  succeeded  by  the  mobility  of  my 
countenance,  and  by  the  feverish  motions  of 
my  body,  in  following  every  part  of  the  tale 
with  such  intent  interest  and  such  truth,  that 
without  uttering  a  syllable  I  drew  from  the 
audience  a  prolonged  cry  of  enthusiasm,  and 
no  more  doubt  attended  the  completeness  of 
my  success.  Poor  Alberti  !  He  was  con- 
strained to  follow  the  current,  and  to  take 
steps  at  once  to  put  on  the  stage  those  very 
plays  which  he  had  found  such  excellent 
reasons  for  not  giving,  and  these  confirmed 
me  emphatically  in  public  favor.  "Zaire," 
"Oreste,"  " Hamlet,"  "Saul"  transported  Na- 
ples with  enthusiasm. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  note  all  the 
marks  of  esteem  and  appreciation  which  the 
Neapolitans  lavished  upon  me.  Everybody 
wanted  to  know  me;  everybody  wished  for 


io6  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

my  friendship ;  everybody  made  it  his  boast 
to  be  seen  in  my  company  on  the  prome- 
nades and  at  the  places  of  resort;  and  every- 
body would  say  in  passing,  "  Here  is  that 
most  excellent  fellow,  our  Salvi;/£/"  I  had 
really  come  to  belong  to  them,  I  was  no 
longer  my  own  master;  and  to  such  a  point 
that  the  burden  of  entertainments,  visits,  in- 
vitations became  almost  oppressive.  I  had 
secured  my  revenge  !  I  had  won  over  a  pub- 
lic that  had  been  confirmed  in  its  habits ;  I 
had  convinced  critics  disposed  to  be  severe, 
and  overcome  the  hostility  of  the  envious  on 
the  stage ;  and  I  had  put  the  laugh  on  a  dis- 
obliging manager. 

During  my  stay  in  Naples,  heroic  acts  of 
almost  incredible  valor  were  done  in  Sicily  by 
the  thousand  followers  of  Giuseppe  Gari- 
baldi, who  overran  the  entire  kingdom  of  the 
Two  Sicilies.  Naples  was  freed  from  the 
tyranny  of  the  Bourbons,  and  received  in  se- 
curity every  free  citizen  of  Italy.  Gustavo 
Modena,  who  had  always  been  interdicted 
from  setting  foot  on  the  soil  of  Naples,  took  a 
fancy  to  visit  the  Parthenopean  city,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  make  himself  known  profes- 
sionally to  the  Neapolitans.  I  encouraged 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    107 

him  in  this  project,  eager  again  to  come  into 
relations  with  my  old  master,  and  to  see  him 
play ;  but  he  kept  answering  my  letters  with 
new  doubts  and  difficulties.  At  last,  how- 
ever, the  way  seemed  clear,  and  I  busied  my- 
self with  hiring  the  Teatro  del  Fondo,  and 
with  engaging  several  actors  of  other  com- 
panies, who  had  taken  advantage  of  the  an- 
nulling of  the  monopoly  of  the  Fiorentini  to 
come  to  Naples.  In  a  word,  I  organized  a 
company  from  what  I  could  find,  but  it  was 
sufficient  for  Modena's  purpose ;  and  despite 
Alberti's  unremitting  hostility,  I  secured  per- 
mission to  give  him  my  own  support  for  a 
night.  Modena  arrived  in  due  time  at  Na- 
ples, but  he  kept  putting  off  the  announce- 
ment of  his  appearance.  I  was  able  to  see 
him  only  in  the  daytime,  for  I  had  to  play 
every  night;  and  every  day  I  saw  more 
clearly,  to  my  deep  regret,  that  his  physical 
strength  was  failing.  Finally  he  declared 
that  his  health  would  not  permit  him  to  face 
the  judgment  of  the  public,  and  that  he  found 
himself  compelled  to  return  at  once  to  his 
home  in  Turin.  It  was  a  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, and  a  real  grief  to  all  who  loved  our 
art.  I  was  eager  to  have  him  dine  with  me, 


io8  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

with  the  Signora  Giulia,  before  his  departure ; 
and  they  accepted  upon  condition  that  there 
should  be  only  the  three  of  us.  I  promised, 
and  two  days  afterward  they  came.  As  can 
easily  be  imagined,  the  stage  formed  the  sta- 
ple of  our  conversation ;  and  I  begged  him, 
before  he  left,  to  drop  in  some  evening  at  the 
Fiorentini,  so  that  I  might  have  his  opinions 
and  advice  upon  what  progress  I  might  have 
made.  "I  have  seen  you,"  he  answered. 
-How?"  said  I.  -Where?  When?"  'And 
he  replied,  "  I  have  seen  you  in  '  Hamlet '  and 
in  '  Saul.' '  I  felt  as  if  a  bucket  of  cold  water 
had  been  doused  over  my  head,  and  for  five 
full  minutes  the  conversation  lapsed.  He  had 
come  twice  to  the  Teatro  de'  Fiorentini  with- 
out my  knowing  anything  of  it.  Finally  I 
took  courage,  and  asked  him  his  opinion. 
"Here  it  is,"  he  answered.  "Nobody  can 
play  Hamlet  but  you ;  in  *  Saul '  my  fourth 
act  is  better  than  yours,  but  your  fifth  act  is 
better  than  mine."  Not  a  word  more  did  he 
say.  Ought  I  to  appeal  from  this  judgment, 
or  to  be  so  modest  as  not  to  deem  it  just  and 
impartial?  I  do  not  think  so;  I  should  be 
wanting  in  respect  to  the  infallible  criticism 
of  that  unequaled  judge,  and  should,  more- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI  109 

over,  be  false  to  my  own  conscience.  Yes; 
Modena's  words  were  true,  and  I  will  tell 
why,  since  he  did  not  see  fit  to  explain  them. 
As  a  fervent  republican  and  a  very  bitter  foe 
of  clericalism,  into  the  diatribes  of  the  fourth 
act,  the  reproaches  heaped  by  Saul  on  the 
high  priest  Ahimelech,  he  put  all  his  energy 
and  the  conviction  due  to  his  political  creed, 
and  he  obtained  extraordinary  results.  This 
effort  left  him,  however,  prostrated  with  fa- 
tigue, so  that  he  was  not  in  a  condition  to 
supply  the  great  exertion  demanded  by  the 
fifth  act.  In  my  own  case,  since  I  was  not 
under  obligation  to  fill  before  the  audience 
the  double  character  of  artist  and  of  anticleri- 
cal, I  husbanded  my  strength,  so  that,  without 
weakening  the  fourth  act,  I  was  still  in  con- 
dition to  give  full  effect  to  the  passion,  the 
delirium,  and  the  calamitous  ending  of  that 
ill-starred  king. 


DEATH    OF    MODENA 

IN  1 86 1  I  visited  Turin  as  first  actor  and 
manager  of  a  company  bearing  my  name. 
Hardly  had  I  arrived  in  the  city  when  the  sad 


I  io  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

news  came  to  me  that  Modena,  my  master,  my 
second  father,  had  ceased  to  live.  I  hurried 
to  his  house  to  render  the  last  tribute  of  my 
affection.  I  had  the  honorable  though  mourn- 
ful office  of  bearing  on  my  shoulder,  with  three 
other  faithful  friends,  the  body  of  this  distin- 
guished man.  That  evening,  as  a  slight  tribute 
of  grief,  I  had  the  theater  closed,  and  I  headed 
a  subscription  to  a  fund  for  the  erection  of  a 
monument  on  the  grave  of  the  great  patriot 
and  artist,  and  all  the  members  of  my  company 
contributed,  of  their  own  motion,  a  day's  sal- 
ary; in  addition  I  gave  a  performance  the  pro- 
ceeds of  which  were  applied  to  the  fund.  It 
all  footed  up  to  a  handsome  sum,  which  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee  formed  of 
the  political  friends  of  the  dead  man ;  and  in 
addition  to  my  collections  this  committee  re- 
ceived many  other  liberal  subscriptions  from 
all  the  provinces  of  Italy. 

Four  years  passed,  and  having  occasion  to 
write  to  Modena's  widow  to  secure  a  manu- 
script of  "Mahomet  II."  which  belonged  to  my 
master,  I  asked  her  for  news  of  the  fund. 
Her  answer  ended  as  follows:  "Never  ask  me 
again  what  has  become  of  the  money  for  the 
monument  of  my  Gustavo;  it  is  a  sad  and  dis- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI  in 

graceful  story."  And  it  is  a  disgrace  to  Italy 
that  not  yet  has  just  honor  been  paid  to  the 
memory  of  that  inimitable  artist  and  distin- 
guished patriot. 

To  return  to  the  chronicle  of  my  artistic 
career,  in  1861  and  1862  my  company  was 
formed  of  chosen  artists,  such  as  Clementina 
Cazzola,  Isolina  Piamonti,  my  brother  Ales- 
sandro  Salvini,  Guglielmo  Privato,  Gaetano 
Voller,  Gaetano  Coltellini,  and  Luigi  Biagi. 
All  my  thought  and  activity  were  devoted  to 
the  direction  of  my  artists,  to  train  them  to 
work  together,  to  inspire  them,  so  to  speak,  in 
such  manner  that  our  productions  should  be 
distinguished  for  the  homogeneity,  the  precis- 
ion, and  the  harmony  of  the  rendering.  I  gave 
all  my  energy  to  the  object  of  surpassing  the 
various  companies  of  highest  rank  which  had 
deservedly  acquired  a  stable  renown ;  and  with- 
out fear  of  contradiction  I  can  say  that  in  this 
I  had  satisfactory  success,  as  was  made  plain 
by  the  size  and  contentment  of  our  audiences. 

FRIENDLY    RIVALRIES    IN    NAPLES 

IN  1863  I  filled  a  few  short  engagements 
with  a  company  under  the  management  of 


ii2  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

Antonio  Stacchini,  an  excellent  genre  artist, 
and  in  the  intervals  of  idleness  I  went  for  the 
first  time  to  London  to  look  over  the  ground, 
which  seemed  to  me  capable  of  giving  a  good 
harvest.  I  visited  several  theaters ;  but  the 
only  one  which  seemed  to  me  at  that  time 
promising  for  an  experiment  with  Italian 
drama  was  the  St.  James.  But  the  demands 
of  the  agent  of  that  house  alarmed  me.  After 
having  hunted  through  every  corner  of  that 
vast  city,  I  returned  to  Italy,  disappointed  as 
to  my  plans,  but  not  discouraged.  I  hap- 
pened to  be  at  Leghorn  for  the  sea-bathing 
when  the  leading  actor  Adamo  Alberti,  then 
manager  of  the  Florentine  Company  in  Na- 
ples, came  there  with  the  purpose  of  engaging 
me  with  Clementina  Cazzola  for  his  theater 
for  three  years. 

Achille.  Majeroni,  with  Fanny  Sadowsky 
and  Luigi  Taddei,  left  the  Teatro  de'  Fioren- 
tini  to  join  the  Teatro  del  Fondo,  taking  with 
them  many  of  the  patrician  families  who  had 
been  subscribers  at  the  Fiorentini.  The  sub- 
scription-list at  the  Fondo  reached  the  total 
of  130,000  lire,  while  ours  was  only  80,000. 
We  had,  however,  great  advantages  over  them 
in  the  novelty  of  our  chief  actress,  Clementina 


RACHEL  AS "PHEDRE." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     113 

Cazzola,  and  in  our  repertory  of  forty  plays, 
which  had  never  been  given  in  Naples,  and  in 
which  that  admirable  actress  and  I  supported 
each  other.  Majeroni,  taking  advantage  of 
the  abolition  of  the  censorship,  began  to  offer 
to  the  public  all  the  plays  which  had  been 
placed  on  the  index  by  the  Bourbon  govern- 
ment ;  these  were  not  liked  by  the  aristocratic 
society  people,  and  they  declared  that  they 
did  not  want  any  more  of  them.  At  the 
Fiorentini,  on  the  contrary,  all  the  new  pieces 
were  greeted  with  sympathy ;  and  although 
our  subscribers  were  few,  the  paying  public 
crowded  our  house  more  every  night.  Our 
plays  were  free  from  all  licentiousness  and 
demagogism;  they  were  chosen  for  their  senti- 
ment and  literary  worth,  and  the  most  fastidi- 
ous audience  could  sit  through  them  and 
experience  nothing  but  interest  and  plea- 
sure. In  Lent  of  1865  the  tables  had  been 
turned.  The  Fondo  theater  had  60,000  lire 
of  subscriptions  on  its  books,  and  we  had 
140,000.  Not  that  the  artists  of  their  com- 
pany were  not  excellent.  Achille  Majeroni 
was  an  actor  of  splendid  physical  and  vocal 
gifts,  and  many  of  his  roles  were  played  with 
rare  ability ;  but  he  had  the  fault  of  being 


U4  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

slightly  monotonous  in  his  cadences,  and  had 
a  systematic  evenness  of  intonation  at  the 
close  of  his  periods  which  was  unpleasant  to 
the  ear.  Fanny  Sadowsky  maintained  her 
high  promise,  and  with  her  beauty  and  intelli- 
gence raised  for  herself  a  firm  pedestal,  upon 
which  she  stood  like  a  statue  of  Canova, 
adorned  with  grace  and  feeling ;  but  even 
she  was  affected  by  the  same  shortcomings 
as  her  colleague  Majeroni.  Luigi  Taddei,  a 
very  celebrated  comedian,  in  many  ways  re- 
called the  talent  of  the  great  Luigi  Vestri; 
but  unfortunately  he  was  compelled  by  a 
stroke  of  paralysis  to  leave  the  stage.  To  al- 
leviate somewhat  his  unhappy  financial  condi- 
tion, the  artists  of  the  Fondo  and  the  Fioren- 
tini  joined  forces,  and  gave  a  benefit  to  the 
excellent  and  unfortunate  artist.  The  play 
was  "  Oreste,"  and  it  was  given  at  the  Teatro 
San  Carlo  with  a  result  at  once  honorable 
and  lucrative.  Our  two  rival  companies  kept 
up  a  constant  exchange  of  courtesies;  there 
was  between  us  an  emulation  in  civility  and 
friendliness,  and  if  there  was  rivalry,  it  was  a 
rivalry  without  bitterness,  or  rancor,  or  self- 
assertion.  Finally  the  Fondo  Company  had 
to  abandon  the  contest,  and  at  the  opening 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     115 

of  the  third  year  it  left  Naples  for  upper 
Italy.  We  were  left  undisputed  masters  of 
the  field,  and  the  Teatro  de'  Fiorentini  was 
no  longer  able  to  hold  the  people  who  wanted 
to  get  in.  At  this  time  I  gave  Giacometti's 
"  Morte  Civile,"  and  a  little  note  sent  to  me 
by  the  celebrated  author  shall  narrate  for  me 
what  was  my  success.  Here  it  is: 


GAZZUOLO,  December  3,  1864. 

MY  DEAR  TOMMASO  :  Permit  me  affectionately  to  press 
your  hand  to  thank  you  for  the  rehabilitation  given  to  my 
"  Morte  Civile  "  by  the  power  of  your  talent,  at  the  Teatro 
de'  Fiorentini,  in  face  of  the  unfortunate  outcome  of  the 
attempt  a  few  evenings  before  at  the  Teatro  del  Fondo. 
If  this  may  perhaps  be  counted  as  one  among  so  many 
noble  satisfactions  which  Art  has  honored  herself  by  ac- 
cording to  you,  it  is  not  less  one  for  me  also,  with  this 
difference,  that  I  remain  in  it  a  debtor  to  your  genius ! 

PAOLO  GIACOMETTI. 


We  must  make  allowance  for  the  joy  of  an 
author  who  has  been  applauded;  it  is  never- 
theless true  that  the  " Morte  Civile"  was  dur- 
ing the  three  years  of  my  stay  in  Naples  a 
necessary  and  safe  complement  to  the  reper- 
tory for  every  week. 


n6  LEAVES   FROM   THE 


HIS  ''OTHELLO"  AT  ITS  BEST 

BEFORE  giving  "Othello"  it  was  my  wish 
to  familiarize  the  Neapolitan  public  with  a 
class  of  works  foreign  to  that  which  had  pre- 
viously been  seen  on  the  boards  of  that  theater. 
I  had  already  played  Voltaire's  "Zaire"  several 
times,  and  other  plays  characterized  by  vehe- 
mence of  passion,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that 
the  time  had  come  to  try  the  effect  of  the 
implacable  Moor  of  Venice  upon  my  audi- 
ence. It  is  very  seldom  that  I  have  attained 
satisfaction  with  myself  in  that  role;  I  may 
say  that  in  the  thousands  of  times  that  I  have 
played  it  I  can  count  on  the  fingers  of  one 
hand  those  when  I  have  said  to  myself,  "I 
can  do  no  better,"  and  one  of  those  times  was 
when  I  gave  it  at  the  Teatro  de'  Fiorentini. 
It  seemed  that  evening  as  if  an  electric  cur- 
rent connected  the  artist  with  the  public. 
Every  sensation  of  mine  was  transfused  into 
the  audience;  it  responded  instantaneously  to 
my  sentiment,  and  manifested  its  perception 
of  my  meanings  by  a  low  murmuring,  by  a 
sustained  tremor.  There  was  no  occasion  for 
reflection,  nor  did  the  people  seek  to  discuss 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     117 

me;  all  were  at  once  in  unison  and  concord. 
Actor,  Moor,  and  audience  felt  the  same  im- 
pulse, were  moved  as  one  soul.  I  cannot  de- 
scribe the  cries  of  enthusiasm  which  issued 
from  the  throats  of  those  thousands  of  persons 
in  exaltation,  or  the  delirious  demonstrations 
which  accompanied  those  scenes  of  love,  jeal- 
ousy, and  fury;  and  when  the  shocking  catas- 
trophe came,  when  the  Moor,  recognizing  that 
he  has  been  deceived,  cuts  short  his  days,  so 
as  not  to  survive  the  anguish  of  having  slain 
the  guiltless  Desdemona,  a  chill  ran  through 
every  vein,  and,  as  if  the  audience  had  been 
stricken  dumb,  ten  seconds  went  by  in  ab- 
solute silence.  Then  came  a  tempest  of  cries 
and  plaudits,  and  countless  summonses  before 
the  curtain.  When  the  demonstration  was 
ended,  the  audience  passed  out  amid  an  in- 
distinct murmur  of  voices,  and  collected  in 
groups  of  five,  eight,  or  twelve  everywhere 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  theater;  then,  re- 
uniting as  if  by  magnetic  force,  they  came  back 
into  the  theater,  demanded  the  relighting  of 
the  footlights,  and  insisted  that  I  should  come 
on  the  stage  again,  though  I  was  half  un- 
dressed, to  receive  a  new  ovation.  This 
unparalleled  and  spontaneous  demonstration 


n8  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

is  among  the  most  cherished  memories  of  my 
career,  for  it  ranks  among  such  as  an  artist 
rarely  obtains. 


A    SCENE   AT   THE    DANTE    CENTENARY 

IN  1865  a  celebration  of  the  sixth  centenary 
of  the  divine  poet  was  organized  in  Florence, 
and  the  municipality  invited  me,  with  Ade- 
laide Ristori,  Ernesto  Rossi,  and  Gaetano  Gat- 
tinelli,  to  illustrate  some  tableaux-vivants  by 
reciting  the  original  lines  of  Dante.  The  choice 
was  left  to  me,  and  I  selected  the  first  and  the 
thirty-third  cantos  of  the  "Inferno";  I  was 
asked  besides  to  recite  a  part  of  the  ninth 
canto  of  the  "Purgatorio,"  the  description  of 
the  Gate  of  Paradise.  At  that  time  I  was  pres- 
ident of  a  society  of  mutual  succor  for  Italian 
dramatic  artists,  which  I  had  myself  founded 
in  Naples,  and  which  was  in  a  very  prosperous 
state.  I  took  with  me  to  Florence  the  banner 
of  my  society,  that  it  might  figure  among  those 
of  other  associations  of  Italy.  In  the  proces- 
sion there  were  united  with  me  as  representa- 
tives of  the  dramatic  art,  besides  the  artists 
I  have  named,  more  than  a  hundred  others, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     119 

among  them  many  comedians.  Our  beautiful 
banner,  designed  by  the  celebrated  painter 
Morelli,  as  well  as  the  reunion  of  so  many  rep- 
resentatives of  our  art,  made  a  pleasing  im- 
pression on  the  public,  which  had  assembled 
from  all  Italy,  and  our  passage  in  the  procession 
was  especially  distinguished  by  loud  applause. 
On  the  evening  of  the  tableaux  Ristori,  Rossi, 
and  Gattinelli  were  admirable.  The  Teatro 
Pagliano  presented  a  truly  imposing  spectacle. 
King  Victor  Emmanuel,  the  senate,  the  am- 
bassadors, the  ministers,  the  army,  the  courts, 
the  arts,  industry,  commerce — in  a  word,  every 
caste  of  society  was  represented,  and  that  great 
house  was  too  small  to  hold  the  immense  crowd 
which  packed  itself  uselessly  about  the  doors 
of  the  theater  in  the  vain  hope  of  enjoying  the 
spectacle.  As  the  reciter  of  the  first  canto,  I 
was  naturally  the  first  to  present  myself  on 
the  stage.  My  entrance  was  greeted  with 
sympathetic  applause.  When  I  reached  the 
point  where  the  divine  poet  symbolizes  in  the 
wolf  the  Roman  Curia,  and  says : 

Molti  son  gli  animali  a  cui  s'ammoglia 
E  piu  saranno  ancora,  finche  Pveltro 
Verra,  che  la  fara  morir  di  doglia!1 

i  Many  are  the  animals  with  which  she  wives,  and  there  shall  be 
more  yet,  till  the  hound  shall  come  that  will  make  her  die  of  grief. — 

C.  E.  NORTON. 


120  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

I  looked  fixedly  at  the  king,  and  stood  for 
several  seconds  without  speaking.  The  audi- 
ence caught  the  allusion  on  the  instant,  and  a 
storm  of  applause  burst  out  as  if  it  would 
never  stop.  I  believe  that  Victor  Emmanuel 
at  that  moment  would  have  preferred  to  be  at 
the  hunt  rather  than  in  the  theater.  The  peo- 
ple persisted  in  their  applause,  and  in  crying: 
"Viva  il  Re!  Viva  1'Italia!"  His  Majesty 
did  not  understand,  or  did  not  wish  to  under- 
stand, the  allusion  which  had  aroused  this 
enthusiasm,  and  hesitated  for  a  time,  but  at 
last  he  was  compelled  to  rise,  and  with  appear- 
ance of  great  excitement  thanked  the  people 
several  times.  The  applause  was  so  tremen- 
dous that  I  thought  the  theater  would  fall 
about  my  ears. 


A    MEMORABLE    PERFORMANCE    WITH   RISTORI 

To  my  pleasure  in  having  given  occasion  to 
that  political  demonstration  was  added  another 
on  the  two  nights  of  that  same  occasion  when 
the  tragedy  of  "  Francesca  da  Rimini"  was 
given  at  the  Teatro  Niccolini  before  houses  of 
equal  quality, to  that  of  the  Dante  recitations 
at  the  Pagliano.  Adelaide  Ristori  was  Fran- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     121 

cescay  Ernesto  Rossi  was  Paolo,  Lorenzo  Picci- 
nini  was  Guido  da  Polenta,  Antonio  Bozzo 
was  the  Page,  and  I  filled  the  part  oiLanciotto. 
Adelaide  Ristori  did  not  fall  behind  her  world- 
wide fame ;  Ernesto  Rossi  surpassed  himself, 
and  that  is  not  saying  little;  Lorenzo  Picci- 
nini  was  acclaimed ;  and  they  say  that  my  suc- 
cess was  a  revelation.  The  betrayed  husband 
of  Franccsca  had  had  until  then  interpreters 
who  had  not  brought  out  the  loftiness  of  that 
generous,  loyal,  and  loving  nature ;  he  had 
generally  been  conceived  as  a  stern,  tyranni- 
cal, and  vindictive  husband,  and  the  character 
had  been  played  by  artists  accustomed  to  de- 
pict the  most  revolting  characters.  I  made 
him  an  affectionate  husband,  worthy  of  pity  in 
his  misfortune,  and  torn  by  anguish  in  the 
just  recriminations  which  he  hurls  at  the  guilty 
pair,  and  the  public  felt  sympathy  with  the 
afflicted  husband  and  betrayed  prince,  and  dis- 
approval, blame,  and  condemnation  for  his 
betrayers.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  had  pene- 
trated to  the  moral  of  the  tragedy.  It  was  not 
for  nothing  that  Dante  placed  adulterers  in 
the  circle  of  the  tormented.  The  new  inter- 
pretation of  this  part  spread  very  quickly 
among  cultivators  of  the  Italian  stage,  and  I 
received  warm  felicitations  even  from  persons 


122  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

who  were  not  known  to  me.  At  the  end  of 
the  third  act  Adelaide  Ristori  gave  me  a  kiss 
of  admiration.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  the 
public,  which  by  etiquette  had  been  constrained 
to  silence,  called  my  companions  and  me  many 
times  before  the  curtain,  and  when  the  tragedy 
was  completed  it  seemed  as  though  the  ovation 
would  never  stop,  and  we  were  obliged  to  repeat 
the  play  on  the  following  night  to  content 
those  who  had  not  been  able  to  obtain  tickets 
for  the  first  night.  A  marble  slab  in  the  vesti- 
bule of  the  pit  commemorates  in  letters  of  gold 
this  eventful  performance. 

After  a  few  days  I  returned  to  Naples,  and 
when  I  appeared  again  on  the  stage  my  re- 
turn was  applauded  as  a  son  is  greeted  when 
he  comes  back  to  his  family — a  most  unusual 
thing  in  the  theaters  of  Naples.  The  govern- 
ment had  named  me  by  decree  a  Knight  of 
St.  Maurice  and  St.  Lazarus,  and  the  artists  of 
the  Fiorentini  Company  united  in  a  subscrip- 
tion to  present  me  with  the  cross,  bearing  the 
following  inscription  on  the  back : 

To  TOMMASO  SALVINI, 

PRINCE  OF  THE  STAGE, 

His  COMPANIONS  IN  ART. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     123 

You  can  imagine  how  pleased  I  was  with 
this  amiable  proof  of  esteem  and  affection  of- 
fered to  me  by  my  brothers  in  art. 


AN    AMENDE    FROM    PRINCE    HUMBERT 

IN  1863,  while  I  was  with  the  manager 
Antonio  Stacchino,  we  had  occasion  to  play  a 
few  times  at  the  Teatro  Carcano  in  Milan. 
One  evening  Humbert  of  Savoy,  the  son  of 
Victor  Emmanuel,  who  was  sojourning  at 
Monza,  came  and  stayed  through  the  whole 
play.  As  I  was  on  the  point  of  going  on  the 
stage  for  the  fourth  act,  an  aide-de-camp  of 
the  prince,  who  is  now  a  general,  handed  me 
a  package,  and  said,  "In  the  name  of  His 
Royal  Highness."  I  thanked  him  hastily,  put 
the  package  in  my  pocket,  and  went  on  to 
proceed  with  the  act.  When  I  came  off  I 
hurried  to  my  dressing-room  and  undid  the 
packet,  expecting  to  find  some  souvenir ;  but 
it  was  money — ten  napoleons  in  gold.  I 
confess  that  at  sight  of  it  my  pride  was 
wounded.  What  was  I  to  do  ?  I  did  not 
care  to  refuse  the  gift,  as  I  had  done  some 
time  before  with  the  Prince  of  Carignan,  for 


124  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

fear  of  offending  the  son  of  our  great  king ; 
therefore  I  decided  to  keep  the  money,  hoping 
that  the  future  would  give  me  an  opportunity 
to  clear  myself  of  the  suspicion  of  being  a 
venal  artist.  In  1865  and  1866  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  enjoying  the  acquaintance  of  the 
estimable  wife  of  Senator  Vigliani,  who  was 
then  prefect  at  Naples,  an  Englishwoman, 
highly  educated,  and  an  impassioned  admirer 
of  Shakspere.  In  the  course  of  my  visits  I 
took  occasion  to  refer  to  what  had  happened 
at  Milan,  and  to  express  my  sense  of  injury. 
The  high-spirited  lady  was  surprised,  and 
seemed  even  to  show  real  regret,  and  I  could 
not  doubt  that  she  would  speak  of  it  to  some 
frequenter  of  the  Prince's  court.-  One  day 
when  I  was  on  the  terrace  of  the  prefecture 
with  many  gentlemen  and  ladies  who  had 
been  invited  to  watch  the  passages  of  the 
masks,  for  it  was  carnival  time,  the  same  offi- 
cer who  had  placed  the  packet  in  my  hands  in 
Milan,  and  with  whom  I  was  on  the  footing 
of  acquaintanceship,  came  to  my  side  and 
said,  "Salvini,  when  do  you  take  your  bene- 
fit? "  "  Some  night  before  long,"  I  answered. 
11  Let  me  know  when  the  time  comes,"  said 
he;  "for  His  Royal  Highness  desires  to  be 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     125 

present."  I  announced  "  Francesca  da  Rim- 
ini "  for  my  benefit,  and  the  Prince,  punctually, 
as  is  the  habit  in  the  House  of  Savoy,  came 
to  the  theater.  On  the  morrow  I  received 
the  following  letter:  > 

MOST  ESTEEMED  SIR  :  His  Royal  Highness  was  greatly 
interested  by  the  performance  which  took  place  yesterday 
evening,  i6th  instant,  at  the  Teatro  de'  Fiorentini,  and  in 
which  you  gave  new  evidence  of  your  powerful  dramatic 
genius.  The  august  Prince  is  full  of  admiration  for  an  ar- 
tist who  has  had  the  ability  to  raise  himself  to  your  well- 
merited  fame,  and,  desiring  to  give  you  a  sincere  attesta- 
tion of  his  particular  esteem,  he  has  taken  satisfaction  in 
intrusting  to  me  the  pleasant  charge  of  presenting  to  you, 
in  his  august  name,  the  pin  in  brilliants  which  I  transmit 
to  you  with  this  note.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  be  the  in- 
terpreter of  the  kind  feelings  of  His  Royal  Highness  to- 
ward you;  and  I  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to 
assure  you  of  my  own  very  high  consideration.  The 
Major- General,  ist  aide-de-camp.  REVEL. 


I  opened  the  inclosure,  and  discovered  on 
the  pin  beneath  the  royal  crown  the  letters 
"  U.  S.,"  for  Umberto  Savoja.  The  Prince 
had  had  the  delicacy  to  compensate  me  with 
usury  for  a  mistake,  very  probably  not  his 
own ;  and  I  could  do  no  less  than  exclaim  in 
my  heart :  "  Viva  Umberto  !  Viva  1'Arte  ! " 


126  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

At  this  time  it  was  my  misfortune  to  see  my 
illustrious  and  beloved  colleague  Clementina 
Cazzola  waste  away  from  day  to  day  in  the 
clutches  of  an  incurable  disease.  The  doctors 
pronounced  that  if  the  good  creature  persisted 
in  the  exercise  of  her  art  she  would  shorten 
her  life,  and  she  was  constrained  to  retire 
from  the  stage  in  the  hope  that  rest  and  quiet 
would  conjure  away  the  menace  to  her  health. 
In  her  absence  the  whole  weight  of  artistic 
responsibility  at  the  Teatro  de'  Fiorentini  fell 
upon  me,  and  I  put  forth  every  effort  of  which 
I  was  capable  to  make  the  loss  to  the  man- 
agement as  light  as  possible.  I  was  obliged 
to  feign  satisfaction  while  my  heart  was  full 
of  pain,  and  this  throughout  two  years.  I 
sought  to  quench  my  trials  in  my  art,  and 
while  I  was  struggling  between  laughter  and 
tears,  art  found  profit  in  the  combination  of 
emotions  due  to  my  afflicted  state.  In  that 
year,  1866,  Paolo  Giacometti  delivered  to  me 
the  tragedy  of  "Sofocle,"  which  I  had  sug- 
gested to  him,  and  in  studying  that  sublime 
character  I  perceived  that  with  the  death  of 
the  protagonist  I  could  identify  my  own  af- 
flicting position.  Sofocle  dies  at  the  moment 
when  the  crown  of  olive  decreed  by  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     127 

Greek  senate  is  brought  to  him,  and  when 
his  sons  return  from  the  field  to  announce 
to  him  that  the  haughty  Alcibiade,  out 
of  respect  for  the  grand  tragic  poet,  re- 
nounces his  intended  destruction  of  the 
necropolis  where  repose  his  ancestors;  thus 
Sofocle  is  happy  with  the  assurance  of 
resting  with  his  own.  He  dies  surrounded 
by  his  family,  honored  and  acclaimed  by 
his  fellow-citizens,  while  his  nephew  with 
his  lyre  chants  in  his  stead  the  pa^an,  the 
sacred  hymn  to  the  fatherland.  He  dies 
following  the  strains  of  that  melody,  un- 
consciously moving  his  fingers,  and  fancying 
that  it  is  he  who  is  singing  the  hymn  of 
Athens  to  his  lyre ;  he  dies  with  a  smile  on 
his  lips,  with  joy  in  his  heart — but  he  dies  !  I, 
too,  smiled,  but  in  place  of  joy  I  had  death 
in  my  heart.  I,  too,  sang  the  hosanna,  but 
the  "De  Profundis"  held  my  soul.  I,  too, 
was  filled  with  joy  from  the  love  and  acclaim 
of  my  countrymen,  and  the  relative  posi- 
tions of  the  Hellenic  poet  and  the  Italian 
tragedian  were  so  closely  parallel  that  my 
rendering  of  his  emotions  could  not  but  be 
true.  A  letter  from  the  author,  which  I 
have  preserved,  will  tell  more  eloquently  than 


128  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

I  could  the  effect  produced  by  the  play  and 
its  interpretation : 

MY  DEAR  TOMMASO  :  Thank  you,  my  friend,  for  the 
fine  account  which  you  have  kindly  given  me  of  the  out- 
come of  my  "Sofocle";  thank  you  for  the  papers  you 
have  sent  me,  from  which  I  should  have  formed  an  idea, 
if  your  letter  had  not  been  enough,  of  the  reception  given 
to  my  piece,  as  well  as  of  your  sublimity  in  acting  it.  I 
have  not  seen  you,  and  who  can  tell  when  I  shall  see  you, 
in  the  guise  of  the  Homer  of  tragedy,  and  I  am  extremely 
sorry  for  it;  for  if  I  had  been  present  at  the  play  I  should 
have  enjoyed  one  of  those  moments  which  are  perhaps  the 
only  happy  ones  in  an  author's  life,  and  I  should  have  im- 
printed a  fraternal  kiss  upon  your  forehead,  which  is  glo- 
rified by  the  flame  of  genius.  When  an  author  offers  his 
creation  to  an  artist,  and  this  artist  who  is  to  bring  it  before 
the  world  of  letters  receives  it  with  a  religious  respect, 
meditates  on  it,  and  magnifies  it,  he  acquires  a  sacred  claim 
to  the  esteem  and  affection  of  the  poet.  To  your  worthy 
colleagues  who,  so  far  as  I  have  seen  by  the  accounts, 
have  seconded  you  admirably  well,  I  beg  that  you  will 
give  assurance  of  my  gratitude.  You  did  well  to  suppress 
a  few  verses  which  might  have  proved  a  clog  upon  the 
action  or  an  obstacle  to  your  conception ;  and  as  to  your 
idea  of  having  a  string  of  the  lyre  snap  as  Sofocle  dies, 
there  could  be  nothing  either  more  opportune  or  more 
poetic:  I  compliment  you  upon  it.  I  send  you  a  kiss; 
and  receive  from  my  wife,  with  her  most  distinguished 
service,  her  grateful  appreciation  of  the  success  of  "  So- 
focle." Yours  always, 

PAOLO  GIACOMETTI. 

GAZZUOLO,  April  10,  1866. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    TOMMASO   SALVINI     129 

Nothing  worthy  of  telling-  happened  to 
me  in  1867.  At  the  head  of  a  company  of 
artists  of  medium  ability  I  traveled  through 
the  Italian  cities,  finding  everywhere  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  public;  this  was  satisfying  to  my 
pride,  but  the  alarming  condition  of  my  ex- 
cellent colleague  overwhelmed  the  triumphs 
of  the  artist.  In  1868  I  continued  in  the 
management  of  my  company,  with  Virginia 
Marini  as  first  actress,  who  in  1864,  1865, 
and  1866  had  been  with  us  at  Naples,  under 
my  direction  and  the  counsels  of  Clementina 
Cazzola.  She  had  an  iron  will,  unwearying 
application  to  study,  surprising  native  tal- 
ent, with  a  sympathetic  and  harmonious  voice, 
which  caused  to  be  overlooked  her  defect  of 
unconscious  imitation. 


SALVINI    AND    VICTOR    EMMANUEL 

IN  the  summer  of  1868  I  was  at  the  Poli- 
teama  Theater  in  Florence  with  Virginia  Ma- 
rini. Florence  was  then  the  provisional  capi- 
tal of  the  kingdom,  and  from  King  Victor 
Emmanuel  down  all  the  notabilities  of  Italy 
had  a  standing  appointment  to  meet  in  the 


130  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

evening  at  the  Politeama.  The  king  seemed 
to  take  much  interest  in  my  playing,  for  he 
did  not  stay  away  a  single  night.  I  have  been 
asked  which  roles  seemed  to  appeal  most  to 
him;  they  were  Ingomar  in  the  "Figlio  delle 
Selve,"  Sansonc  in  the  tragedy  of  the  same 
name,  and  Van  Bruch  in  "Giosue  il  Guarda- 
coste" — three  strong,  ardent,  robust,  loyal 
characters.  It  seemed  as  if  he  mirrored  him- 
self in  them;  and  when  I  passed  near  the 
royal  box  after  having  saluted  the  public, 
I  would  hear  the  voice  of  a  stentor  shout, 
"Bravo!  Bravo!"  It  was  the  king. 

One  evening,  perhaps  more  pleased  than 
usual,  he  took  from  his  finger  a  diamond  ring, 
and  commissioned  the  Marchese  di  Brem  to 
bring  it  to  me  on  the  stage.  The  marquis 
said  to  me:  "  His  Majesty  begs  you  to  accept 
this  reminder  of  his  royal  admiration.  You 
must  prize  it,  for  he  has  worn  it  for  five  years." 
A  few  days  after  this,  at  nine  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing, my  servant  came  to  my  bedroom  and  told 
me  that  there  was  a  gentleman  in  the  draw- 
ing-room who  desired  to  speak  to  me  at  once. 
I  was  a  little  vexed,  and  I  said:  "How?  At 
this  time  of  the  morning?  But  I  am  still  in 
bed."  Then  I  heard  a  voice  calling  from  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     131 

next  room:  ''Excuse  me,  Salvini ;  I  am  the 
Marchese  di  Brem,  and  I  come  from  the  king 
to  say  to  you  that  His  Majesty  wishes  to  see 
you  at  once  at  the  Pitti.  Dress  yourself  as 
fast  as  you  can,  and  I  will  wait  at  your  door 
with  the  carriage."  So  I  put  on  my  dress- 
coat  and  went  to  the  palace.  The  marquis 
accompanied  me  to  the  royal  antechamber, 
where  I  found  many  people  awaiting  audi- 
ence, and,  informing  me  that  the  officer  on 
duty  would  call  my  name,  he  left  me  with  the 
words,  "I  warn  you  that  His  Majesty  takes 
you  for  a  republican." 

Among  those  who  were  waiting  there  were 
many  diplomatists,  officers  of  rank,  the  Gen- 
oese sculptor  Varni,  whom  I  knew,  and  a 
pretty  young  girl  who  did  not  mingle  with  the 
others,  and  whom  I  expected  would  be  sum- 
moned first  before  the  king.  Soon  two  gen- 
erals, whose  names  I  forget,  came  out  of  the 
royal  apartments,  and  I  heard  my  name  spoken 
by  the  officer  at  the  door.  I  advanced  to  the 
door  of  the  first  room,  after  which  there  were 
five  others  to  traverse  before  reaching  His 
Majesty;  and  I  saw  at  the  end  of  the  vista,  as 
in  a  picture  framed  by  the  five  doors,  the  form 
of  Victor  Emmanuel,  who  awaited  my  ap- 


132  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

proach  with  legs  and  feet  joined,  and  his  hands 
in  the  pockets  of  his  wide  trousers.  When  I 
reached  the  threshold  of  the  last  door,  I  halted, 
and  in  the  position  and  with  the  military  salute 
of  a  veteran,  I  said,  "Your  Majesty!"  The 
king  advanced  toward  me,  and,  extending  his 
hand  cordially,  said: 

"My  dear  Salvini,  I  am  very  glad  to  see 
you  and  to  know  you  personally." 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  I,  "I  am  greatly 
flattered  by  the  honor  which  Your  Majesty 
does  me." 

"My  dear  Salvini,"  said  His  Majesty,  "a 
man  of  your  merit  flatters  other  people  by 
his  acquaintance."  He  took  two  cigars  and 
offered  one  to  me.  "Do  you  smoke?" 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty.  But  I  am  an  old 
corporal,  and  smoke  only  Tuscan  cigars." 

"Light  this  one,  and  tell  me  what  you 
think  of  it."  He  lighted  a  match  and  handed 
it  to  me  to  light  a  great  Havana  cigar;  then 
he  lighted  his  own,  and  approached  a  win- 
dow looking  out  on  the  Boboli  Gardens.  "I 
wanted  to  tell  you  how  much  I  admire  you 
as  an  artist.  You  are  a  republican,  are  you 
not?" 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty.     But  when  there  are 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     133 

kings  who  are  loyal,  warlike,  and  honorable, 
like  you,  it  is  possible  to  be  a  constitution- 
alist." 

''Thanks;  thanks.  It  is  very  true  that  I 
live  only  for  my  nation.  The  battle-field  is 
the  post  of  my  predilection.  Politics  cut  the 
grass  under  my  feet ;  and  sometimes,  just  as 
you  say  in  the  'Figlio  delle  Selve,'  'I  could 
rend  the  world/  I  could  rend  the  walls  of 
my  room.  And  I  do  not  think  that  you  have 
been  a  flatterer  in  calling  me  '  Re  Galan- 
tuomo.'  It  seems  to  me  that  I  am  in  truth 
that;  but  I  could  equally  be  a  loyal  pres- 
ident of  your  republic  if  I  were  not  under 
the  obligation  of  preserving  a  crown  which 
has  been  transmitted  to  me,  and  which  dates 
from  centuries." 

"Your  Majesty,  no  one  contests  that  obli- 
gation ;  but  even  if  it  were  a  burden  for  you, 
with  your  loyalty  you  would  sustain  it  easily." 

"  Thanks ;  thanks.  For  that  matter,  loyalty 
is  traditional  in  the  House  of  Savoy ;  it  is  in 
the  blood,  and  I  have  no  merit  in  observing  it 
and  in  causing  it  to  be  maintained." 

Up  to  this  point  all  the  words  of  the  dia- 
logue, spoken  as  we  were  both  leaning  on 
the  front  of  the  window,  remain  as  if  in- 

9* 


I34  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

scribed  in  my  memory,  and  I  can  be  sure  of 
their  exactitude.  I  made  several  attempts  to 
draw  the  conversation  upon  the  needs  of  art, 
the  necessity  of  providing  for  its  restoration ; 
but  when  I  sought  to  express  my  views,  the 
kin  of  answered  that  the  theater  could  not 

o 

deteriorate  since  it  had  representatives  like 
me,  that  my  name  was  an  honor  to  the 
country,  that  artists  must  spring  up  from  my 
example;  in  fine,  with  these  praises  he  closed 
my  mouth,  and  went  back  to  politics.  Among 
very  many  expressions  which  have  escaped 
my  mind  one  has  remained  with  me,  and  its 
intimation  has  come  true:  that  he  would  be 
content  to  die  on  the  day  when  he  had  been 
able  to  set  his  foot  in  Rome.  Can  you,  dear 
reader,  tell  me  the  motive  of  this  frankness, 
cf  these  royal  confidences,  to  me,  a  dramatic 
artist?  I  have  not  yet  succeeded  in  explain- 
ing it.  Perhaps,  under  the  impression  of  the 
strong  and  generous  characters  that  I  had 
been  playing,  he  fancied  that  he  was  opening 
his  mind  to  Sansone,  to  Ingomar^  or  to  Van 
Bruch;  and  when,  in  my  hints  about  the 
needs  of  art,  he  was  brought  back  to  the 
prosaic  Salvini,  he  changed  the  subject  to  get 
back  to  the  atmosphere  which  gave  him  plea- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     135 

sure.  A  good  hour  had  passed,  and  my  cigar 
was  nearly  finished,  when  I  permitted  myself 
to  deplore  the  fate  of  the  persons  who  on 
my  account  were  waiting  in  the  antecham- 
ber. Victor  Emmanuel  answered  me:  "Let 
them  wait.  You  are  certainly  more  occupied 
than  they,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  for  that 
you  wish  to  go  away  so  soon."  "  I  will  go 
away,"  I  answered,  "  when  Your  Majesty 
gives  me  the  command."  Upon  this  he  ap- 
proached the  writing-table,  and  taking  up  a 
packet,  gave  it  to  me,  with  the  words:  "Take 
this.  I  want  you  to  have  a  souvenir  of  our 
acquaintance,  and  I  hope  that  this  will  not  be 
the  last  time  that  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of 
talking  with  you.  I  salute  you."  He  again 
held  out  his  hand  to  me,  and  I  went  away, 
saying:  "I  am  at  the  orders  of  Your  Ma- 
jesty." When  I  had  reached  the  second 
room,  I  heard  a  loud  ringing,  and  while  the 
officer  on  service  was  advancing  to  the  king, 
Victor  Emmanuel  called  out  behind  me:  "I 
shall  see  you  this  evening,"  informing  me 
thus  that  he  would  come  to  the  Politeama. 
I  went  back  to  ,my  house  charmed  with  the 
affable,  frank,  and  familiar  manner  of  the  "  Re 
Galantuomo."  I  opened  the  parcel  which  he 


136  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

had  given  me,  and  in  it  was  a  box  with  the 
royal  cipher  containing  the  cross  of  Officer 
of  the  Crown  of  Italy.  A  few  days  afterward 
a  very  different  cross  was  fixed  in  my  heart, 
a  cross  of  strife  and  of  mourning  —  Clemen- 
tina Cazzola  was  dead ! 


OFF    FOR    SOUTH    AMERICA A    STORM 

CONVINCED  that,  owing  both  to  lack  of  pub- 
lic and  government  support,  and  to  the  grow- 
ing carelessness  as  to  details  among  Italian 
managers  and  actors,  dramatic  art  was  suffer- 
ing a  partial  eclipse  in  Italy,  after  a  tour  in 
1869  in  Spain  and  Portugal,  which,  owing  to 
the  very  heavy  expenses,  and  to  the  revolu- 
tionary movements  in  progress,  produced  but 
scanty  returns,  I  decided  to  accept  the  offer 
of  a  respected  South- American  impresario.  I 
was  anxious  to  test  the  question  whether  in 
the  New  World  work  and  study  could  look 
for  an  adequate  reward;  and  I  was  attracted 
also  by  the  foreign  appreciation  of  my  coun- 
try through  the  agency  of  art. 

The  new  company  which  I  formed  for  the 
year  1871  was  made  up  in  part  of  artists  who 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     137 

were  in  Florence  at  the  time,  and  in  part  of 
others  whom  I  knew  by  reputation.  Isolina 
Piamonti,  a  clever  and  sympathetic  actress, 
with  a  melodious  voice  and  an  attractive  face; 
Signor  and  Signora  Aiudi,  with  their  daughter 
Pierina,  who  afterward  became  one  of  the 
best  younger  leading  ladies  on  the  stage; 
Lorenzo  Piccinini,  and  Domenico  Giagnoni, 
were  my  chief  supporters,  and  with  them  I 
had  twenty  of  lesser  rank  whom  I  need  not 
name.  This  was  a  company  which  for  South 
America  might  be  called  extremely  good;  it 
was  certainly  one  of  the  best  that  had  ever 
played  in  those  countries.  Before  setting  out, 
I  gave  twelve  representations  in  Bologna,  to 
get  the  company  well  organized  and  working 
in  unison,  selecting  those  plays  which  I  meant 
to  give  in  America.  At  the  close  of  the 
Lenten  season,  we  all  went  to  Genoa,  and 
embarked  aboard  the  steamer  Isabella.  The 
cost  of  the  voyage  both  ways  for  the  entire 
company  was  paid  by  our  impresario,  Senor 
Pestalardo  of  Buenos  Ayres,  with  which  city 
the  South-American  experience  of  our  com- 
pany was  to  begin.  The  national  festival  fell 
just  at  the  time  when  we  were  due  at  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  that  of  Montevideo  was  to  be 


138  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

celebrated  during1  our  stay  there.  Everything 
was  well  planned,  organized,  and  provided 
for,  so  that  the  speculation  could  not  fail;  the 
impresario  and  I  counted  on  sharing  a  hand- 
some profit,  almost  a  fortune,  as  a  result  of 
the  tour. 

It  was  my  first  voyage  to  America,  the  first 
time  that  I  dared  the  ocean  in  a  nutshell; 
and,  whatever  may  be  said,  this  experience 
must  produce  a  certain  impression  upon  any- 
body. Hardly  had  we  entered  the  Gulf  of 
Lyons,  which  is  traditionally  unkind  to  the 
sailor,  when  a  tempest  burst  upon  us,  so 
furious  that  we  carried  away  one  of  our 
masts,  and  had  our  sails  torn  to  ribbons,  and 
suffered  some  damage  about  the  decks.  All 
the  passengers  were  compelled  to  keep  below 
to  avoid  danger  from  the  waves.  I  begged 
the  captain's  permission  to  remain  awhile  on 
the  bridge  to  admire  that  imposing  spectacle 
of  irritated  nature.  To  tell  the  truth,  my 
desire  to  admire  the  fury  of  Neptune  had 
only  a  secondary  place  in  my  mind.  I  was 
terrified  at  the  idea  of  beino-  drowned  like  a 

o 

rat  in  my  state-room  berth,  and  I  fostered  the 
vain  hope  that  since  I  was  a  very  strong 
swimmer  I  might  be  able  to  save  myself  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     139 

the  event  of  shipwreck.  So  far  as  I  could,  in 
the  midst  of  the  violent  motion,  and  my  alarm 
at  the  danger,  I  made  my  observations. 
What  a  magnificent  spectacle  it  was !  The 
sky  was  veiled  with  impenetrable  clouds;  the 
sea  was  a  confused  mass  of  black  velvet 
drapery  with  tufts  of  white  lace,  moved  and 
changed  in  countless  ways  by  the  violent 
gusts,  and  hurled  with  a  crash  against  the 
sides  of  our  ship.  The  rain  beat  against  my 
face,  and  the  lamps  shot  fitful  rays  over  the 
horrible  but  majestic  scene,  while  the  detona- 
tions of  thunder,  and  the  vivid  gleams  of  the 
lightning,  recalled  to  my  mind  the  siege  of 
Rome. 

At  daybreak  we  found  ourselves  running 
in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  African  coast. 
The  ship's  prow  was  turned  toward  Gibraltar, 
and  we  made  that  port  with  difficulty.  It  re- 
quired three  days  to  put  the  vessel  in  condi- 
tion to  go  to  sea  again. 


A    MODEL    FOR    OTHELLO 

AT  Gibraltar  I  spent  my  time  studying  the 
Moors.     I  was  much  struck  by  one  very  fine 


140  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

figure,  majestic  in  walk,  and  Roman  in  face, 
except  for  a  slight  projection  of  the  lower  lip. 
The  man's  color  was  between  copper  and 
coffee,  not  very  dark,  and  he  had  a  slender 
mustache,  and  scanty  curled  hair  on  his  chin. 
Up  to  that  time  I  had  always  made  up 
Othello  simply  with  my  mustache,  but  after 
seeing  that  superb  Moor  I  added  the  hair  on 
the  chin,  and  sought  to  copy  his  gestures, 
movements,  and  carriage.  Had  I  been  able 
I  should  have  imitated  his  voice  also,  so 
closely  did  that  splendid  Moor  represent  to 
me  the  true  type  of  the  Shaksperian  hero. 
Othello  must  have  been  a  son  of  Mauritania, 
if  we  can  argue  from  lagds  words  to  Rode- 
rigo:  "He  goes  into  Mauritania";  for  what 
else  could  the  author  have  intended  to  im- 
ply but  that  the  Moor  was  returning  to  his 
native  land? 


AT    MONTEVIDEO 

BY  reason  of  adverse  winds  and  weather 
our  voyage  to  Montevideo  occupied  forty-two 
days,  and  when  the  tender  of  the  steamship 
company  came  to  meet  us,  it  was  with  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     141 

melancholy  announcement  that  yellow  fever 
had  broken  out  in  Buenos  Ayres,  and  that  the 
death-rate  was  eight  hundred  a  day.  This 
was  depressing  news,  especially  to  me  who 
had  submitted  to  the  discomforts  of  so  long  a 
voyage,  and  had  punctually  paid  my  artists 
thirty  per  cent,  above  their  regular  salary, 
and  ten  francs  of  extra  pay  each,  during  a 
month  and  a  half  of  idleness,  in  the  hope  of 
replenishing  my  greatly  diminished  exchequer 
with  the  fruits  of  my  art.  But  much  more 
than  by  my  personal  hardships,  and  the  ex- 
penditure of  a  considerable  sum,  I  was  occu- 
pied by  my  responsibility  for  the  safety  of  my 
companions,  whom  I  had  involuntarily  led 
into  this  predicament.  My  impresario  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  country  beyond  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  there  was  no  way  of  communi- 
cating with  that  city,  since  the  sanitary  cor- 
don fenced  it  in,  and  the  telegraph  was  in 
operation  only  for  government  service.  I  did 
not  know  a  soul  in  the  country,  I  did  not 
speak  the  language,  and  for  a  moment  I  felt 
bewildered.  On  landing,  I  soon  found  my- 
self with  Signor  Sivori,  a  wealthy  Genoese 
merchant,  who  had  been  commissioned  by  my 
impresario  to  place  himself  at  my  disposition 


UNIVERSITY 


142  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

and  to  be  my  guide  and  helper.  The  excel- 
lent jnan  asked  me  whether  I  was  in  need  of 
funds,  but  I  answered  him  that  I  was  in  need 
of  nothing  but  a  theater.  Sivori  told  me  that 
that  had  been  provided  for  as  soon  as  the 
epidemic  had  appeared  in  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
that  the  Solis  Theater,  the  best  in  Monte- 
video, was  at  my  disposal.  A  day  later  our 
first  announcement  was  issued  ;  but  I  am  sure 
that  the  natives,  when  they  read  my  name  on 
the  posters,  asked  themselves  whether  I  was 
a  tenor  or  a  ballet-dancer.  I  opened  with  the 
"  Morte  Civile,"  and  the  next  day  there  was 
no  further  question  as  to  what  I  was.  The 
newspapers  and  the  Italian  residents  had 
made  my  quality  public,  and  signs  of  general 
satisfaction  were  manifest.  After  the  first 
night  the  theater  was  always  crowded.  It 
was  the  custom  of  the  country  to  give  only 
three  representations  a  week,  but  I  was  re- 
quested to  give  four,  to  content  those  who 
wished  to  see  me  oftener.  The  house,  at 
opera  prices,  could  hold  no  more  than  about 
$3000 ;  but  for  my  benefit  night  the  receipts 
were  $4500,  for  everybody  wanted  boxes  and 
orchestra  chairs,  and  the  best  seats  were  at  a 
premium.  I  received  a  great  number  of  pres- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     143 

ents,  and  wreaths  and  bouquets  enough  to 
cover  the  whole  stage. 

In  connection  with  this  benefit  at  Monte- 
video occurred  a  rather  curious  episode.  As 
I  have  said,  King  Victor  Emmanuel  had  pre- 
sented me  with  a  diamond  which  he  had 
habitually  worn.  On  account  of  my  devotion 
to  the  •'  Re  Galantuomo,"  I  never  took  this 
off  my  finger,  except  in  those  cases  in  which 
artistic  considerations  forbade  the  wearing  of 
it.  One  night  when  the  "  Morte  Civile"  was 
played,  I  had  to  take  the  ring  off,  because  it 
would  not  have  been  proper  to  retain  it  in 
my  character  of  a  convict  fleeing  from  prison, 
and,  as  was  my  custom,  I  placed  it  with  my 
watch  and  chain  at  the  back  of  my  dressing- 
table.  After  the  play  a  number  of  people 
came  to  my  room  while  I  was  dressing,  to 
congratulate  me,  and  my  servant  handed  me 
my  watch  and  chain,  but  forgot  the  ring.  My 
attention  was  distracted  by  the  conversation 
of  so  many  people,  and  I  did  not  notice  the 
absence  of  the  ring ;  but  when  I  came  to  go 
to  bed  I  perceived  it,  and  sent  my  man  to  the 
theater  to  recover  it.  The  keeper  did  not 
live  in  the  building,  and  all  the  doors  of  the 
theater  were  closed.  The  next  morning  my 


144  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

servant  got  up  very  early  and  hurried  to 
the  theater,  but  the  sweepers  had  already  put 
the  actors'  rooms  in  order,  and  my  ring  was 
no  longer  to  be  found.  Had  I  lost  my  finger 
I  should  not  have  felt  more  lively  regret.  I 
lodged  a  complaint  with  the  police,  and  sev- 
eral persons  were  arrested ;  I  had  notices 
'posted  promising  a  liberal  reward ;  I  had  the 
form  of  the  diamond  lithographed  with  a  de- 
scription of  the  ring,  and  sent  copies  to  all 
the  jewelers  of  America  and  Europe ;  but  I 
got  no  word  of  it,  and  never  recovered  it.  All 
Montevideo  talked  of  this  unfortunate  acci- 
dent. On  my  benefit  night,  while  I  was  re- 
ceiving the  ovations  of  the  public,  and  was 
almost  buried  in  the  flowers  that  were  thrown 
to  me,  a  beautiful  child  of  five  or  six  years 
advanced  with  a  silver  salver  in  his  hand,  and 
held  out  to  me  a  small  object  which  was 
upon  it.  As  I  bent  down  to  kiss  the  little 
fellow,  a  quantity  of  flowers  thrown  from  a 
box  struck  the  salver,  and  caused  the  little 
packet  to  fall,  and  I  lost  sight  of  it  in  the 
mass  of  flowers.  The  curtain  fell,  and  while 
the  audience  was  demanding  me  before  the 
curtain  a  number  of  people  from  the  wings 
swarmed  around  me  to  find  the  object  which 


FRANCESCO    LOMBARDI 


"• 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    TOMMASO   SALVINI     145 

had  gone  astray ;  but  I  was  distrustful  on  ac- 
count of  my  previous  loss,  and  shouted  in  a 
loud  voice  :  "  Off  the  stage,  all  of  you  !  "  My 
imperious  and  threatening  command  caused 
the  stage  to  be  evacuated  at  once,  while  the 
little  child  who  had  brought  the  gift  fled,  ter- 
rified and  weeping.  I  began  a  search  alone 
among  the  flowers,  and  I  soon  found  the 
object,  which  had  fallen  out  of  its  box.  It 
proved  to  be  a  very  beautiful  brilliant,  to 
which  was  attached  a  card  with  the  words : 

You  have  lost  the  ring  of  a  King ; 
The  Republicans  of  Montevideo  restore  it  to  you. 

The  kind  thought  gave  me  great  pleasure, 
and  the  ring  was  superb;  still  it  could  not  re- 
place that  which  had  been  stolen. 

During  our  stay  of  two  months  at  Monte- 
video the  epidemic  at  Buenos  Ayres  ceased, 
and  communication  was  reopened.  Shortly 
afterward  I  announced  our  last  appearance, 
with  "Giosue  il  Guardacoste"  ("  Joshua  the 
Coast-guard").  All  the  arrangements  were 
made  with  the  steamer  America  to  carry  the 
company  to  Buenos  Ayres,  whence  no  sani- 
tary bulletins  had  been  issued  for  two  weeks. 


146  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

So  lively  was  the  sympathy  felt  for  me  by 
all  classes  that  on  my  farewell  night  the  au- 
dience was  not  like  the  public  paying  hom- 
age to  an  artist:  it  was  an  affectionate  family 
which  saw  with  grief  the  departure  of  a  well- 
loved  member.  In  the  midst  of  the  applause 
and  bravi,  I  distinguished  the  cry  as  if  with 
one  voice:  "Otra  vez !  Otra  vez /"  ("Once 
more!  Once  more!"),  with  the  sense  that  I 
should  stay  one  night  more  to  repeat  my  last 
play;  and  there  was  no  way  of  stopping  this 
cry  until  I  had  expressed  my  formal  consent. 
I  secured  a  delay  of  twenty-four  hours  from 
the  management  of  the  steamship  company, 
so  that  I  should  not  miss  my  engagement  at 
Buenos  Ayres.  On  the  morning  following 
this  final  representation,  two  hours  before  our 
sailing-time,  as  I  was  preparing  my  small 
private  baggage,  I  heard  a  confused  sound 
in  the  distance,  mingled  with  martial  strains, 
coming  from  several  directions.  As  I  ar- 
ranged the  objects  upon  my  toilet-table  I  said 
to  myself:  "It  remains  to  be  seen  whether 
there  is  some  commotion  which  will  prevent 
us  from  getting  off!"  In  a  little  while  two 
gentlemen  presented  themselves,  one  an  Ital- 
ian, the  other  a  native,  in  dress-coats  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     147 

white  cravats  and  gloves,  and  requested  the 
favor  of  accompanying  me  on  board  the 
America.  I  accepted  with  pleasure,  but  I 
could  not  make  out  the  occasion  of  this  re- 
quest. ,  The  Italian  then  told  me:  "The 
citizens  of  Montevideo  with  the  resident 
Italian  colony,  of  whom  we  are  the  delegates, 
wish  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  accompanying 
you  to  the  steamer."  I  then  first  understood 
that  I  was  the  object  of  a  popular  demon- 
stration, and  I  answered  the  gentlemen  that 
I  was  at  their  orders.  I  left  the  baggage  to 
my  servant,  and  descended  the  stairs  with  the 
two  delegates,  one  on  each  side  of  me. 

When  I  reached  the  street  two  bands  struck 
up,  and  a  great  shout  of  "Viva  Salvini!"  arose 
from  the  throats  of  a  crowd  numbering  thou- 
sands. The  streets  through  which  I  was  to 
pass  were  strewn  with  flowers,  the  windows 
were  hung  with  draperies,  and  filled  with 
ladies  and  children,  who  threw  down  flowers ; 
as  to  the  men,  they  were  either  in  the  proces- 
sion, or  standing  at  the  doors  of  their  houses, 
holding  their  hats  in  the  air  and  shouting. 
Our  advance  was  very  slow  on  account  of  the 
immense  crowd  which  packed  the  streets,  and 
although  I  was  surrounded  by  an  escort  of 


148  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

gentlemen  who  requested  the  people  to  make 
way  for  me,  we  were  often  compelled  to  stop, 
our  path  being  wholly  blocked.  At  short  in- 
tervals a  pause  was  made,  while  addresses 
were  read  to  me  in  Spanish  or  Italian.  When 
the  reading  stopped,  the  cheers  would  begin 
again,  and  in  this  way  we  at  last  reached  the 
mole,  upon  which  had  been  erected  during 
the  night  a  large  arch  of  greens  and  flowers, 
under  which  I  had  to  pass.  But  first  all  the 
addresses  were  presented  to  me  engrossed  on 
parchment,  and  the  people  wanted  to  place 
around  my  body  an  enormous  wreath  tied 
with  the  colors  of  Italy  and  of  Uruguay.  It 
was  not  possible  for  me  to  walk  with  this 
rather  voluminous  decoration  on  my  back, 
and  I  passed  under  the  triumphal  arch  car- 
rying the  wreath  in  my  hands,  with  the  aid 
of  the  citizen  delegates.  Two  tugs  dressed 
with  flags  were  waiting  to  take  me  out  to  the 
America.  The  bands  and  many  citizens  went 
on  board  of  one,  and  with  the  two  delegates 
I  embarked  on  the  other.  At  my  side  I  found 
old  Signor  Sivori,  with  tears  in  his  eyes!  Be- 
fore proceeding  to  the  America  the  two  tugs 
steamed  around  the  harbor,  passing  alongside 
all  the  men-of-war  of  various  nations  which 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    149 

were  stationed  at  Montevideo.  The  sailors 
manned  the  yards,  and  the  officers  were  drawn 
up  on  the  quarter-decks,  and  all  cheered  while 
their  flags  were  dipped  in  salute.  The  Amer- 
ica sounded  her  whistle  to  summon  her  pas- 
sengers on  board,  and  then  a  thunderous 
shout  arose  from  the  mole  ;  it  was  the  part- 
ing greeting  of  the  people  of  Montevideo.  I 
went  aboard  the  America  with  my  head  whirl- 
ing from  so  great  a  manifestation  of  esteem, 
and  I  found  my  colleagues  so  full  of  excite- 
ment and  emotion  that  they  embraced  and 
kissed  me. 


BUENOS    AYRES    AND    RIO    DE    JANEIRO 

AT  Buenos  Ayres  I  found  the  populace 
saddened  by  the  recent  epidemic  (which  had 
not  left  a  single  family  unscathed),  and  in 
need  of  distraction  and  of  breathing  an  at- 
mosphere of  less  depression,  and  the  Teatro 
Colon  was  always  filled.  Almost  all  the  boxes 
were  closed  with  gratings,  for  the  families  in 
mourning  did  not  wish  to  be  deprived  of  the 
pleasure  of  the  theater,  but  did  not  care  to 
appear  openly;  so  it  seemed  as  if  I  were  play- 


1 5o  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

ing  in  a  convent  or  a  harem.  I  heard  people 
applauding  me,  but  I  could  not  see  them.  In 
success  and  financial  returns,  Buenos  Ayres 
was  not  behind  Montevideo ;  but  we  lost  the 
national  festivals  in  both  cities  —  occasions 
which  are  always  highly  profitable  to  a  thea- 
ter. From  Buenos  Ayres  I  went  to  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  where  I  was  disappointed  in  not  find- 
ing the  Emperor  Dom  Pedro,  who  was  trav- 
eling in  Europe.  Nevertheless  the  Princess 
Regent,  daughter  of  the  Emperor,  did  not 
miss  a  single  night  at  our  theater,  and  on  the 
evening  of  my  benefit  she  had  me  summoned 
to  her  box,  and  presented  to  me  a  beautiful 
solitaire,  which  was  handed  to  me  by  her 
consort,  the  Comte  d'Eu.  She  honored  me 
with  an  invitation  to  the  imperial  palace,  and 
I  found  her  of  the  most  exquisite  amiability. 
I  met  no  actor  of  distinction  in  South 
America.  The  theaters  were  busy  with  zar- 
zuele,  as  bouffe  operas  are  called  in  Spanish, 
and  these  they  gave  with  much  spirit  and 
correctness.  The  audiences  show  interest,  as 
do  all  those  of  the  Latin  races,  but  they  are 
much  quieter  than  in  Italy.  They  rise  easily 
to  enthusiasm,  and  as  easily  forget  their  im- 
pressions. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    151 


ERNESTO    ROSSI 

AFTER  the  close  of  my  tour  in  South  Amer- 
ica, I  returned  to  Italy,  having  signed  an 
agreement  for  the  carnival-season  at  the 
Teatro  Valle  in  Rome.  I  had  some  time  to 
spare,  so  I  gave  first  a  few  performances  at 
Bologna  and  at  Naples. 

It  was,  I  believe,  at  about  this  time  that  the 
proposition  was  made  to  me  that  I  should 
play  Py lades,  in  Alfieri's  "  Oreste,"  with  Er- 
nesto Rossi.  I  have  always  been  delighted  at 
an  opportunity  to  join  forces  with  artists  of 
real  worth,  and  I  accepted  the  offer  with  the 
greatest  pleasure,  all  the  more  so  because  the 
part  of  Pylades,  in  my  opinion,  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  lending  itself  to  the  production  of  a 
great  effect  with  comparatively  light  fatigue. 
Be  very  sure  of  your  lines,  keep  under  con- 
trol any  exuberance  in  your  vocal  power, 
mark  the  positions  liberally,  accentuate  your 
phrasing  in  just  measure,  hold  the  interest 
and  curiosity  of  your  audience  by  the  play  of 
your  expression,  be  natural  and  simple  while 
yet  maintaining  the  dignity  of  the  buskin,  and 
the  part  of  Pylades  is  mastered.  I  had  be- 


152  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

fore  this  seen  Ernesto  Rossi  in  other  parts  of 
the  highest  importance,  such  as  Paolo  in 
"  Francesca  da  Rimini,"  Romeo,  and  Hamlet. 
There  was  a  time  when,  in  the  last  of  these 
parts,  the  Italian  public  considered  him  as 
superior  to  all  others  who  had  essayed  it. 
Whether  this  judgment  was  right  or  wrong, 
it  is  indubitable  that  in  that  role  he  satisfied 
the  canons  of  Italian  taste  more  perfectly 
than  those  of  the  Anglo-Saxon.  While  he 
was  still  young,  his  sympathetic  face  and  his 
voice  were  well  adapted  to  Shakspere's  ec- 
centric personage,  as,  indeed,  to  all  roles  in 
which  the  passion  of  love  was  dominant.  I 
do  not  believe  there  ever  was  an  artist  who 
could  pronounce  the  words,  "  I  love  you ! " 
as  Ernesto  Rossi  said  them.  The  word 
"  love  "  sounded  well  on  his  lips,  but  that  of 
"rage"  seemed  astonished  to  fall  from  them, 
and  out  of  place.  Impassioned  characters 
found  in  him  an  innate  comprehension,  but 
he  could  not  sink  himself  sufficiently  in  such 
as  were  virile  and  imposing ;  this  was  from 
no  defect  in  his  ability,  but  owing  to  lack  of 
natural  aptitude  for  such  parts.  Many  of  the 
parts  which  he  played,  and  which  won  re- 
nown for  him,  were  by  his  fine  and  keen  in- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     153 

tellect,  and  by  his  unwearied  study,  fashioned 
and  polished  like  a  diamond.  The  cutting  of 
the  gem  was  perfect,  its  rays  projected  their 
multiform  colors  and  dazzled  and  charmed ; 
yet  it  could  not  be  maintained  that  it  was  of 
pure  water.  It  had  a  faint  straw  tinge,  in- 
distinguishable except  to  experts,  but  visible 
to  the  experienced,  to  the  intelligent,  and  to 
careful  analysts,  and  this  almost  impercepti- 
ble tinge  was  the  fact  that  the  art  did  not 
sufficiently  conceal  the  man.  Very  frequently 
the  man  himself  would  be  betrayed  in  a  ges- 
ture, or  an  expression,  or  in  the  voice.  While 
the  audience  was  impressed  by  the  actor's  in- 
numerable endowments,  and  had  before  its 
eyes  the  very  personage  and  passion  that  he 
was  portraying,  of  a  sudden  its  illusion  would 
vanish,  and  it  would  be  reminded  of  the  man 
who  was  playing  a  part,  who  was  studying 
his  inflections,  and  designing  his  motions. 
In  Ernesto  Rossi  this  small  defect  is  like  a 
mole  on  the  face  of  a  beautiful  woman,  which 
may  even  be  looked  upon  as  a  charm. 


154  LEAVES    FROM    THE 


FIRST    TRIP    TO    THE    UNITED    STATES 

AFTER  a  few  months  of  rest,  I  resolved  to 
get  together  a  new  company,  selecting  those 
actors  and  actresses  who  were  best  suited 
to  my  repertory.  The  excellent  Isolina 
Piamonti  was  my  leading  lady ;  and  my  bro- 
ther Alessandro,  an  experienced,  conscien- 
tious, and  versatile  artist,  supported  me.  An 
Italian  theatrical  speculator  proposed  to  me 
a  tour  in  North  America,  to  include  the  chief 
cities  of  the  United  States ;  and  although  I 
hesitated  not  a  little  on  account  of  the  igno- 
rance of  the  Italian  language  prevailing  in 
that  country,  I  accepted,  influenced  somewhat 
by  my  desire  to  visit  a  region  which  was 
wholly  unknown  to  me.  Previous  to  cross- 
ing the  ocean  I  had  several  months  before 
me,  and  these  served  me  to  get  my  company 
in  training. 

My  first  impressions  of  New  York  were 
most  favorable.  Whether  it  was  the  benefit 
of  a  more  vivifying  atmosphere,  or  the  com- 
fort of  the  national  life,  or  whether  it  was 
admiration  for  that  busy,  industrious,  work- 
loving  people,  or  the  thousands  of  beautiful 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     155 

women  whom  I  saw  in  the  streets,  free  and 
proucl  in  carriage,  and  healthy  and  lively  in 
aspect,  or  whether  it  was  the  thought  that 
these  citizens  were  the  great-grandchildren 
of  those  high-souled  men  who  had  known 
how  to  win  with  their  blood  the  independence 
of  their  country,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  born 
again  to  a  new  existence.  My  lungs  swelled 
more  freely  as  I  breathed  the  air  impregnated 
with  so  much  vigor  and  movement,  and  so 
much  liberty,  and  I  could  fancy  that  I  had 
come  back  to  my  life  of  a  youth  of  twenty, 
and  was  treading  the  streets  of  republican 
Rome.  With  a  long  breath  of  satisfaction 
I  said  to  myself:  "  Ah,  here  is  life  !  "  Within 
a  few  days  my  energy  was  redoubled.  A 
lively  desire  of  movement,  not  a  usual  thing 
with  me,  had  taken  possession  of  me  in  spite 
of  myself.  Without  asking  myself  why,  I 
kept  going  here  and  there,  up  and  down,  to 
see  everything,  to  gain  information ;  and 
when  I  returned  to  my  rooms  in  the  evening, 
I  could  have  set  out  again  to  walk  still  more. 
This  taught  me  why  Americans  are  so  un- 
wearied and  full  of  business.  Unfortunately  I 
have  never  mastered  English  sufficiently  to 
converse  in  that  tongue;  had  I  possessed  that 


156  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

privilege,  perhaps  my  stay  in  North  America 
would  not  have  been  so  short,  and  perhaps  I 
might  have  figured  on  the  English  stage. 
What  an  enjoyment  it  would  have  been  to 
me  to  play  Shakspere  in  English!  But  I  have 
never  had  the  privilege  of  the  gift  of  tongues, 
and  I  had  to  content  myself  with  my  own 
Italian,  which  is  understood  by  but  few  in 
America.  This,  however,  mattered  little ; 
they  understood  me  all  the  same,  or,  to  put 
it  better,  they  caught  by  intuition  my  ideas 
and  my  .sentiments. 

My  first  appearance  was  in  "  Othello." 
The  public  received  a  strong  impression, 
without  discussing  whether  or  not  the  means 
which  I  used  to  cause  it  were  acceptable,  and 
without  forming  a  clear  conception  of  my  in- 
terpretation of  that  character,  or  pronouncing 
openly  upon  its  form.  The  same  people  who 
had  heard  it  the  first  night  returned  on  the 

second,  on  the  third,  and  even  on  the  fourth, 

^ 

to  make  up  their  minds  whether  the  emotions 
they  experienced  resulted  from  the  novelty  of 
my  interpretation,  or  whether  in  fact  it  was 
the  true  sentiment  of  Othello  s  passions  which 
was  transmitted  to  them  —  in  short,  whether  it 
was  a  mystification  or  a  revelation.  By  de- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     157 

grees  the  public  became  convinced  that  those 
excesses  of  jealousy  and  fury  were  appro- 
priate to  the  son  of  the  desert,  and  that  one 
of  southern  blood  must  be  much  better  quali- 
fied to  interpret  them  than  a  northerner.  The 
judgment  was  discussed,  criticized,  disputed ; 
but  in  the  end  the  verdict  was  overwhelmingly 
in  my  favor.  When  the  American  has  once 
said  "  Yes,"  he  never  weakens  ;  he  will  always 
preserve  for  you  the  same  esteem,  sympathy, 
and  affection.  After  New  York  I  traveled 
through  a  number  of  American  cities — Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  Pittsburg,  Washington, 
and  Boston,  which  is  rightly  styled  the 
Athens  of  America,  for  there  artistic  taste 
is  most  refined.  In  Boston  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  become  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  illustrious  poet  Longfellow,  who  talked  to 
me  in  the  pure  Tuscan.  I  saw,  too,  other 
smaller  cities,  and  then  I  appeared  again  in 
New  York,  where  the  favor  of  the  public  was 
confirmed,  not  only  for  me,  but  also  for  the  ar- 
tists of  my  company,  and  especially  for  Isolina 
Piamonti,  who  received  no  uncertain  marks 
of  esteem  and  consideration.  We  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Albany,  Utica,  Syracuse,  Rochester, 
Buffalo,  Toledo,  and  that  pleasant  city,  De- 


158  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

troit,  continuing  to  Chicago,  and  finally  to 
New  Orleans.  I  reached  New  Orleans  at 
carnival  time,  and,  in  a  masked  procession  in 
which  all  nations  were  represented,  I  was 
revolted  and  offended  to  see  Italy  figuring  as 
Pope  Pius  IX.  giving  his  benediction  to  a 
band  of  brigands,  who  with  their  daggers  in 
their  teeth  were  kneeling  at  the  Holy  Father's 
feet.  I  was  so  much  disgusted  by  this  of- 
fensive and  repulsive  travesty,  clue  to  the 
suggestion  of  some  renegade,  as  well  as  by 
the  unpardonable  ignorance  of  the  carnival 
committee,  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  pub- 
lishing a  letter  of  protest,  over  my  signature, 
in  which  I  said : 

Italy  for  true  Italians  should  be  represented  by  Victor 
Emmanuel,  by  Gioberti,  Cavour,  and  Garibaldi.  Every 
good  Italian  must  repel,  protest  against,  and  despise  this 
insult  offered  to  a  nation  which,  by  its  antique  traditions, 
and  by  its  recent  deeds,  deserves  the  respect  and  the  ad- 
miration of  the  civilized  world ;  and  we  are  sure  of  finding 
an  echo  of  adhesion  to  this  sentiment  among  the  American 
people,  which  is  accustomed  to  render  homage  and  justice 
to  all  that  is  noble  and  generous. 

Italians  congratulated  me,  the  press  kept 
silence,  and  the  people  remained  indifferent ; 
and  so  the  matter  was  forgotten.  This  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     159 

the  only  disagreeable  experience  of  this  tour 
in  America. 

From  New  Orleans  we  sailed  to  Havana, 
but  found  in  Cuba  civil  war,  and  a  people 
that  had  but  small  appetite  for  serious  things, 
and  was  moreover  alarmed  by  a  light  out- 
break of  yellow  fever.  One  of  my  company 
was  taken  down  with  the  disease,  but  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  recover.  Luckily 
he  had  himself  treated  by  Havanese  physi- 
cians, who  are  accustomed  to  combat  that 
malady,  which  they  know  only  too  well. 
Perhaps  my  comrade  would  have  lost  his  life 
under  the  ministrations  of  an  Italian  doctor. 
In  the  city  of  sugar  and  tobacco,  too,  it  was 
"  Othello"  which  carried  off  the  palm.  Those 
good  manufacturers  of  cigars  presented  me 
on  my  benefit  with  boxes  of  their  wares, 
which  were  made  expressly  for  me,  and 
which  I  despatched  to  Italy  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  my  friends.  In  spite  of  the  many 
civilities  which  were  tendered  to  me,  in  spite 
of  considerable  money  profit,  and  of  the  ova- 
tions of  its  kind-hearted  people,  I  did  not 
find  Cuba  to  my  taste.  Sloth  and  luxury 
reign  there  supreme. 

I  returned  from  Cuba  to  the  United  States, 


160  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

and  gave  five  performances  in  Philadelphia 
and  ten  in  New  York,  after  which  we  went 
to  Rio  de  Janeiro  on  the  steamer  Ontario,  a 
voyage  of  twenty-eight  days.  We  stopped 
on  the  way  at  St.  Thomas,  and  at  Para,  on 
the  great  river  Amazon.  A  short  time  after 
our  voyage,  the  Ontario  was  lost  with  all  her 
passengers  and  crew.  My  good  star  has  al- 
ways followed  me,  and  in  the  innumerable 
journeys  undertaken  during  the  long  period 
of  my  travels  I  have  never  had  to  lament  an 
accident. 


AGAIN    IN    BRAZIL 

THE  Dom  Pedro  Theater  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 
was  the  first  scene  of  our  activity.  The  au- 
spicious season,  the  freedom  from  epidemic, 
and  the  certain  presence  of  the  Emperor 
Dom  Pedro  d'Alcantara,  who  had  returned 
from  his  travels  in  Europe,  were  most  favor- 
able, both  to  the  brilliancy  of  our  artistic 
success,  and  to  our  financial  profit.  The 
Emperor  had  me  often  at  his  palace  in  the 
city,  and  invited  me  to  a  lunch  at  the  country 
palace  of  Petropolis,  where  I  saw  the  Em- 
press, to  whom  I  could  give  no  greater  plea- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     161 

sure  than  to  talk  of  her  dear  Naples.  The 
affability,  kindness,  and  learning  of  Dom 
Pedro  are  well  known.  He  was  a  perfect 
polyglot,  and  conversed  with  me  in  unim- 
peachable Italian ;  the  Empress  still  spoke 
with  the  Neapolitan  accent.  I  played  ten 
times  at  the  Dom  Pedro,  and  then  I  changed 
to  the  Fluminense  Theater,  which  was  in- 
tended for  opera,  and  there  I  appeared  eight 
times  more,  with  a  constantly  growing  afflu- 
ence of  spectators.  On  my  days  off,  I  en- 
joyed visiting  the  enchanting  suburbs  of  the 
city,  and  I  formed  the  opinion  that  the  real 
America  is  in  Brazil.  There  Nature  bestows 
her  gifts  with  abundance,  and  all  growth  is 
luxuriantly  rank.  The  trees  are  as  high  as 
our  campanili,  the  roses  are  as  large  as  pine- 
apples, the  birds  display  a  thousand  hues, 
the  sky  is  always  serene,  the  men  are  cour- 
teous, the  women  most  amiable,  and  even  the 
negroes  are  more  docile  and  civilized  than  in 
their  native  land.  The  climate,  alas !  leaves 
much  to  be  desired,  and  if  a  European  is  not 
careful  to  lead  a  hygienic  and  well-regulated 
life,  he  runs  the  risk  of  leaving  his  bones 
there.  I  was  under  contract  to  go  to  Chile, 
but  during  my  stay  in  Brazil  negotiations 


162  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

were  concluded  arranging  for  a  few  appear- 
ances on  the  way  at  Montevideo,  and  at 
Buenos  Ayres.  I  gave  twelve  nights  more 
at  Montevideo  at  the  Solis  Theater,  for 
which  the  house  was  taken  by  storm.  For 
my  benefit  the  boxes  and  the  best  places 
were  put  up  at  auction,  and  nearly  twice  the 
proceeds  of  the  regular  prices  was  taken  in. 
The  theater  managers  each  made  $2500  for 
their  own  account.  The  people  insisted  upon 
my  remaining  at  Montevideo"  through  all  the 
time  that  I  had  destined  for  Buenos  Ayres, 
and  I  consented  the  more  readily  because 
in  the  latter  city  there  was  some  appear- 
ance of  political  disturbance,  which  soon  de- 
veloped into  civil  war.  The  opera,  which 
had  suspended  at  the  Solis  Theater  to  make 
room  for  me,  had  to  wait,  under  an  in- 
demnity, for  two  weeks  more  before  open- 
ing again.  I  paid  ^1000  sterling  to  the 
administration  of  the  English  steamers  for 
the  voyage  and  return  of  my  company  from 
Montevideo  to  Valparaiso,  and,  traversing 
the  Straits  of  Magellan,  in  eleven  days  we 
were  in  Chile.  I  should  not  be  frank  if  I 
said  that  the  Chileans  received  us  with  en- 
thusiasm. Both  at  Valparaiso  and  at  San- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     163 

tiago  I  had  a  succes  d'estime,  little  more, 
and  our  business  was  light,  but  yet  covered 
the  large  expenses  of  so  costly  a  journey. 
The  returns,  however,  did  not  compensate  for 
the  trouble  of  going  there,  especially  as  we 
were  shut  out  of  Peru  by  one  of  the  numer- 
ous revolutions. 

Upon  my  return  I  arranged  to  give  a  fare- 
well appearance  at  Montevideo.  On  the 
morning  of  my  arrival  fourteen  persons  lay 
dead  in  the  Plaza  de  la  Matrice,  as  an  accom- 
paniment to  the  presidential  elections.  Our 
play  was  given,  notwithstanding,  and  to  a 
splendid  house.  This  ended  my  engage- 
ments with  the  company,  and  I  pursued  the 
voyage  on  the  same  English  steamer  to  Bor- 
deaux, while  my  companions  took  the  Italian 
ship. 

APPEARANCE   IN    LONDON 

IN  Paris  I  found  a  letter  from  the  impre- 
sario Mapleson,  who  proposed  that  I  should 
go  to  London  with  an  Italian  company,  and 
play  at  Drury  Lane  on  the  off-nights  of  the 
opera.  I  was  in  doubt  for  a  considerable 
time  whether  to  challenge  the  verdict  of  the 


164  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

British  public ;  but  in  two  weeks  after  reach- 
ing Italy,  by  dint  of  telegrams  I  had  got  to- 
gether the  force  of  artists  necessary,  and  I 
presented  myself  with  arms  and  baggage  in 
London,  in  the  spring  of  1875. 

Hardly  had  I  arrived,  when  I  noticed  the 
posting,  on  the  bill-boards  of  the  city,  of  the 
announcement  of  the  seventy-second  night 
of  "  Hamlet"  at  the  Lyceum  Theater,  with 
Henry  Irving  in  the  title  role.  I  had  con- 
tracted with  Mapleson  to  give  only  three 
plays  in  my  season,  "  Othello,"  the  "  Gladi- 
ator," and  "  Hamlet,"  the  last  having  been  in- 
sisted upon  by  Mapleson  himself,  who,  as 
a  speculator,  well  knew  that  curiosity  as  to  a 
comparison  would  draw  the  public  to  Drury 
Lane. 


IMPRESSIONS    OF    IRVING's    "HAMLET" 


I  WAS  very  anxious  to  see  the  illustrious 
English  artist  in  that  part,  and  I  secured  a 
box  and  went  to  the  Lyceum.  I  was  recog- 
nized by  nobody,  and  remaining  as  it  were 
concealed  in  my  box,  I  had  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  satisfy  my  curiosity.  I  arrived  at  the 
theater  a  little  too  late,  so  that  I  missed  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     165 

scene  of  Hamlet  in  presence  of  the  ghost  of 
his  father — the  scene  which  in  my  judgment 
contains  the  clue  to  that  strange  character, 
and  from  which  all  the  synthetic  ideas  of 
Hamlet  are  developed.  I  was  in  time  to  hear 
only  the  last  words  of  the  oath  of  secrecy.  I 
was  struck  by  the  perfection  of  the  stage 
setting.  There  was  a  perfect  imitation  of  the 
effect  of  moonlight,  which  at  the  proper  times 
flooded  the  stage  with  its  rays  or  left  it  in 
darkness.  Every  detail  was  excellently  and 
exactly  reproduced.  The  scene  was  shifted, 
and  Hamlet  began  his  allusions,  his  sallies  of 
sarcasm,  his  sententious  sayings,  his  points 
of  satire  with  the  courtiers  who  sought  to 
study  and  to  penetrate  the  sentiments  of  the 
young  prince.  In  this  scene  Irving  was 
simply  sublime.  His  mobile  face  mirrored 
his  thoughts.  The  subtle  penetration  of  his 
phrases,  so  perfect  in  shading  and  incisive- 
ness,  showed  him  to  be  a  master  of  art.  I  do 
not  believe  there  is  an  actor  who  can  stand 
beside  him  in  this  respect,  and  I  was  so  much 
impressed  by  it,  that  at  the  end  of  the  second 
act  I  said  to  myself,  "I  will  not  play  Hamlet! 
Mapleson  can  say  what  he  likes,  but  I  will 
not  play  it " ;  and  I  said  it  with  the  fullest 


i66  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

resolution.  In  the  monologue,  "To  be,  or 
not  to  be,"  Irving  was  admirable;  in  the 
scene  with  Ophelia  he  was  deserving  of  the 
highest  praise ;  in  that  of  the  Players  he  was 
moving,  and  in  all  this  part  of  the  play  he  ap- 
peared to  my  eyes  to  be  the  most  perfect 
interpreter  of  that  eccentric  character.  But 
further  on  it  was  not  so,  and  for  the  sake  of 
art  I  regretted  it.  From  the  time  when  the 
passion  assumes  a  deeper  hue,  and  reasoning 
moderates  impulses  which  are  forcibly  curbed, 
Irving  seemed  to  me  to  show  mannerism,  and 
to  be  lacking  in  power,  and  strained ;  and  it  is 
not  in  him  alone  that  I  find  this  fault,  but  in 
nearly  all  foreign  actors.  There  seems  to  be 
a  limit  of  passion  within  which  they  remain 
true  in  their  rendering  of  nature  ;  but  beyond 
that  limit  they  become  transformed,  and  take 
on  conventionality  in  their  intonations,  exag- 
geration in  their  gestures,  and  mannerism  in 
their  bearing.  I  left  my  box  saying  to  my- 
self, "  I  too  can  do  Hamlet,  and  I  will  try 
it !  "  In  some  characters  Irving  is  exception- 
ally fine.  I  am  convinced  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  interpret  Shy  lock  or  Mephistopheles 
better  than  he.  He  is  most  skilful  in  putting 
his  productions  on  the  stage ;  and  in  addition 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     167 

to  his  intelligence  he  does  not  lack  the  power 
to  communicate  his  counsels  or  his  teachings. 
Withal  he  is  an  accomplished  gentleman  in 
society,  and  is  loved  and  respected  by  his  fel- 
low-citizens, who  justly  look  upon  him  as  a 
glory  to  their  country.  He  should,  however, 
for  his  own  sake,  avoid  playing  such  parts  as 
Romeo  and  Macbeth,  which  are  not  adapted 
to  his  somewhat  scanty  physical  and  vocal 
power. 

THE    DECLINE    OF    TRAGEDY 

THE  traditions  of  the  English  drama  are 
imposing  and  glorious !  Shakspere  alone  has 
gained  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame  in  dra- 
matic art.  He  has  had  to  interpret  him  such 
great  artists  as  Garrick,  Kemble,  Kean,  Ma- 
cready,  Siddons,  and  Irving ;  and  the  literary 
and  dramatic  critics  of  the  whole  world  have 
studied  and  analyzed  both  author  and  actors. 
At  present,  however,  tragedy  is  abandoned 
on  almost  all  the  stages  of  Europe.  Actors 
who  devote  themselves  to  tragedy,  whether 
classical,  romantic,  or  historical,  no  longer 
exist.  Society  comedy  has  overflowed  the 
stage,  and  the  inundation  causes  the  seed  to 


168  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

rot  which  more  conscientious  and  prudent 
planters  had  sown  in  the  fields  of  art.  It  is 
desirable  that  the  feeling  and  taste  for  the 
works  of  the  great  dramatists  should  be  re- 
vived in  Europe,  and  that  England,  which  is 
for  special  reasons,  and  with  justice,  proud  of 
enjoying  the  primacy  in  dramatic  composition, 
should  have  also  worthy  and  famous  actors. 
I  do  not  understand  why  the  renown  and 
prestige  of  the  great  name  of  Garrick  do  not 
attract  modern  actors  to  follow  in  his  foot- 
steps. Do  not  tell  me  that  the  works  of 
Shakspere  are  out  of  fashion,  and  that  the 
public  no  longer  wants  them.  Shakspere  is 
always  new — so  new  that  not  even  yet  is  he 
understood  by  everybody;  and  if,  as  they  say, 
the  public  is  no  longer  attracted  by  his  plays, 
it  is  because  they  are  superficially  presented. 
To  win  the  approval  of  the  audience,  a  daz- 
zling and  conspicuous  mise  en  scene  does  not 
suffice,  as  some  seem  to  imagine,  to  make  up 
deficiency  in  interpretation  ;  a  more  profound 
study  of  the  characters  represented  is  indis- 
pensable. If  in  art  you  can  join  the  beautiful 
and  the  good,  so  much  the  better  for  you ; 
but  if  you  give  the  public  the  alternative,  it 
will  always  prefer  the  good  to  the  beautiful. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    TOMMASO    SALVINI     169 


RECEPTION    IN    LONDON 

MY  season  in  London  was  a  real  event. 
The  London  public  had  very  great  attrac- 
tions both  at  Drury  Lane  and  at  Covent 
Garden.  At  the  former  such  celebrated  ar- 
tists as  Nilsson  and  Tietjens,  with  the  tenors 
Campanini  and  Fancelli,  and  the  basso  Nan- 
netti,  were  singing  in  "  Lohengrin,"  "  Fi- 
delio,"  and  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor " ;  at 
Covent  Garden,  Patti  and  the  barytone  Co- 
togni  were  delighting  their  hearers  with  "  La 
Traviata,"  "  Dinorah,"  and  the  "  Barbiere  di 
Siviglia."  I  was  acting  at  Drury  Lane  on 
the  three  alternate  nights  when  opera  was 
not  given.  Whether  it  was  the  novelty,  or 
that  "  Othello"  had  not  been  played  for  a 
long  time,  or  merely  one  of  the  anomalies 
of  the  public,  which,  when  it  has  once  set 
its  face  in  any  direction,  can  with  difficulty 
be  made  to  change,  Drury  Lane  was  crowded 
on  the  nights  when  I  played  Othello.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  did  me  the  honor  to  summon 
me  to  his  box  to  assure  me  of  his  admiration. 
The  celebrated  poet  Browning  proved  his 
friendship  by  securing  my  admission  as  a 


1 7o  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

guest  to  the  Athenaeum  Club.  The  Garrick 
Club  and  the  Arts  Club  tendered  me  a  re- 
ception, and  granted  me  honorary  member- 
ship. I  went  to  call  upon  the  diva  Patti, 
who  was  surrounded  by  the  most  select  so- 
ciety, on  one  of  her  reception-days,  and  she 
had  the  courtesy  to  make  me  this  compli- 
ment: "  Do  you  know,  Salvini,  that  I  am 
a  little  jealous  of  you  ?  " 

Between  April  i  and  July  16,  1875,  I  gave 
"  Othello"  thirty  times,  the  "  Gladiator'"  four 
times,  and  "  Hamlet "  on  my  last  ten  appear- 
ances. The  last  play  gave  the  final  touch 
to  my  reputation ;  to  this  a  few  lines  which 
I  had  from  Robert  Browning  will  testify. 
After  playing  Hamlet  I  expressed  to  him  my 
regret  that  I  had  not  been  able  to  attain  in 
that  role  all  that  I  had  aimed  at ;  and  he 
answered  me : 

MY  DEAR  SALVINI  :  I  do  not  know  whether  what  you 
say  to  me  is  true  about  the  chords  of  tenderness  which 
you  lacked,  or  which  failed  to  respond  to  the  touch,  in 
your  first  representation  of  "  Hamlet."  But  this  I  know, 
that  during  your  play  on  Friday  the  entire  lyre  of  tragedy 
resounded  magnificently.  Ever  yours, 

ROBERT  BROWNING. 

I  left  behind  in  London  many  genial  ac- 
quaintances and  enduring  friendships,  besides 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     171 

a  sincere  affection  for  a  young  orphan  girl 
who  became  my  wife  in  the  course  of  that 
year.  I  went  away  with  much  regret,  but 
with  the  hope  of  returning  to  England  for 
the  long  season  of  the  following  year. 


A    TOUR    OF    GREAT    BRITAIN 

I  RETURNED  to  Italy  well  satisfied  with  my 
first  experience  in  London,  and  I  arranged 
with  Colonel  Mapleson  for  a  tour  in  England 
to  begin  March  i,  1876,  to  include  the  chief 
cities  outside  of  London,  and  the  season  in 
the  capital  itself.  My  new  wife  was  unable 
to  accompany  me  on  the  journey  which  had 
previously  been  arranged,  and  she  remained 
in  Florence.  I  visited  Newcastle,  Manches- 
ter, Liverpool,  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Dublin, 
Belfast,  and  Birmingham,  and  on  May  15 
I  appeared  again  in  London,  at  the  Queen's 
Theater,  which  has  since  been  pulled  down. 
Mr.  Mapleson  certainly  was  not  fortunate 
in  his  choice  of  so  obscure  a  theater;  yet 
our  performance  of  "Othello"  drew,  even 
if  under  difficulties,  a  public  generous  of  ap- 
plause. After  the  seventh  repetition  of  the 
Moor  of  Venice  I  fell  seriously  ill,  tortured 


172  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

by  a  carbuncle  between  the  shoulder-blades, 
which  gave  me  intense  suffering.  For  sev- 
enteen days  I  could  not  close  my  eyes,  and 
when  wearied  nature  could  no  longer  resist 
sleep,  the  lancinating  spasms  of  my  torment 
counterbalanced  the  refreshment.  The  Prince 
of  Wales  showed  me  the  thoughtful  atten- 
tion of  sending  me  his  own  physician,  who 
after  consultation  declared  that  my  days  were 
numbered.  Fortunately  he  was  mistaken ; 
but  the  gloomy  opinion  spread,  and  several 
newspapers  mentioned  it.  My  sole  anxiety 
was  the  fear  that  it  would  reach  my  wife's 
ears;  and  to  prevent  her  from  setting  out  to 
join  me,  and  spare  her  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey  and  a  great  anxiety,  which  would 
surely  have  been  injurious  to  her  in  her  con- 
dition, I  sent  her  word  that  a  severe  attack 
of  rheumatism  in  my  right  shoulder  pre- 
vented me  from  writing  to  her  with  my  own 
hand.  In  this  state  of  affairs  I  saw  that  even 
if  I  were  to  get  well  I  should  be  an  invalid 
for  several  months,  and  I  determined  to  dis- 
charge my  company  and  shoulder  the  finan- 
cial loss.  Although  my  doctor  sought  to 
console  me  with  hopeful  words,  from  the  im- 
pression betrayed  by  my  dear  and  good 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     173 

friends  who  came  to  see  me,  I  was  con- 
vinced that  all  was  over  with  me.  .Some  of 
them  had  hardly  entered  the  room  and 
caught  sight  of  me,  when  they  fled  without 
speaking,  covering  their  eyes  with  their 
hands,  and  making  other  manifestations  of 
grief. 

Fate  willed  that  my  illness  should  gradu- 
ally assume  a  less  alarming  character;  and 
after  three  days,  during  which  I  was  given 
up,  the  doctor  declared  that  the  danger  was 
past,  but  that  I  should  have  to  undergo,  as 
I  had  anticipated,  a  long  convalescence.  My 
appetite  returned  a  little,  I  was  able  to  keep 
up  my  strength  with  good  wine,  and  soon 
I  was  assured  that  I  should  live  to  see  again 
my  family  and  my  native  land.  As  soon  as 
I  could  stand  on  my  feet,  I  arranged  every- 
thing for  my  departure.  I  stopped  for  two 
days  in  Paris  to  rest.  Ristori,  who  was  stay- 
ing in  that  capital  with  her  family,  had  pre- 
viously invited  me  to  spend  a  day  with  her, 
and  she  was  astonished  at  my  emaciation 
and  at  the  alteration  in  my  features.  When 
at  last  I  reached  Florence,  I  had  to  explain 
everything  to  my  wife,  who  gave  herself  up 
to  a  torrent  of  tears  at  the  thought  of  my 


174  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

danger,    and  of  how  she  had   been   cut  off 
from  succoring  me  in  this  painful  experience. 


VIENNA 

AFTER  a  period  of  rest  with  my  family  at 
San  Marcello  and  Antiguano,  I  returned  to 
Florence  with  my  health  perfectly  regained, 
and  with  all  my  former  energy,  and  formed 
a  new  company  with  the  purpose  of  going 
to  Austria  and  Germany.  To  secure  the 
applause  of  a  public  accustomed  to  weigh 
in  the  balance  artists  as  conscientious,  as 
thoughtful,  and  as  philosophic  as  the  Ger- 
mans was  a  prize  not  to  be  despised,  and  I 
desired  to  win  it.  On  February  22,  1877,  I 
opened  at  the  Ring  Theater  in  Vienna,  with 
the  indispensable  "Othello";  and  although 
the  audience,  with  a  few  exceptions,  did  not 
understand  a  word  I  uttered,  I  flattered  my- 
self that  I  was  received  with  favor.  This 
confusion  of  tongues,  which,  as  we  are 
taught,  God  brought  about  as  a  punishment 
upon  the  builders  of  the  Tower  of  Babel, 
might,  one  would  think,  be  revoked  after  so 
many  years,  so  that  all  might  use  one  Ian- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     175 

guage.  But  this  is  not  to  be !  To-day 
every  ignorant  person  speaks  one  language ; 
one  who  respects  himself  must  be  master  of 
two ;  an  educated  man  must  know  three  or 
four;  and  a  learned  man  is  necessarily  a 
polyglot.  Yet  it  seems  to  me  that  all  the 
time  that  must  be  spent  in  the  study  of  lan- 
guage is  wasted,  and  that  it  could  be  given 
much  more  fruitfully  to  the  acquisition  of  the 
sciences.  I  envy  those  who  can  learn  many 
tongues  with  ease,  for  this  gift  has  never  de- 
veloped in  me ;  and  in  Vienna,  particularly, 
because  of  this,  I  suffered  some  embarrass- 
ment. We  Italians  have,  however,  a  facil- 
ity in  making  ourselves  understood  without 
speaking,  supplying  the  lack  of  words  by 
gestures,  and  by  the  mobility  of  our  expres- 
sion, and  by  these  means  I  was  often  able  to 
unravel  difficulties.  The  most  lively  interest 
in  my  playing  was  shown  by  the  artists  of 
the  Burg  Theater,  some  of  whom  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  knowing  intimately ;  and  I  shall 
always  cherish  the  recollection  of  the  cour- 
tesies which  I  received  from  Sonnenthal, 
Lewinsky,  Mitterwusser,  and  the  clever  and 
amiable  wife  of  the  last.  The  Viennese  are 
full  of  enthusiasm  for  the  arts ;  they  honor 


i;6  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

and  appreciate  highly  any  one  who  rises 
above  mediocrity,  and  give  expression  to 
their  sentiments  by  the  nightly  homage  to 
their  favorite  artists  of  a  profusion  of  flowers 
and  wreaths.  I  made  such  a  collection  of 
souvenirs  that  my  lodgings  were  hardly  large 
enough  to  hold  them  all.  The  press  was 
unusually  favorable  to  me,  and  from  the 
translations  which  I  procured  of  the  articles 
concerning  me  I  found  that  little  or  nothing 
had  escaped  appreciation  of  all  that  I  had 
expected  would  be  lost  on  account  of  my  for- 
eign idiom.  I  do  not  refer  to  the  praises 
which  were  addressed  to  me,  but  to  the  de- 
tailed studies  of  my  conceptions.  There 
were  just  observations,  judgments  seriously 
weighed,  urbane  and  dignified  criticisms,  and 
praise  unmarred  by  exaggeration :  nothing 
could  be  more  correct,  more  wise,  more  con- 
scientious. 

The  German  actors  have  one  most  valu- 
able quality — that  of  studying  much,  a  fea- 
ture which  in  general  is  wanting  in  us 
Italians,  for  we  are  wont  to  fancy  that  we 
have  done  much  study  when  in  fact  our  prep-, 
aration  is  still  insufficient.  The  Germans  are 
more  patient  in  application;  they  investigate 


CLEMENTINA   CAZZOLA. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     177 

with  accuracy  the  personage  whom  they  are 
to  play,  and  they  lead  all  the  actors  of  the 
world  in  their  talent  for  merging  their  own 
personality  in  that  of  their  role.  It  may  be 
that  they  are  somewhat  lacking  in  life,  that 
they  do  not  rise  to  the  feverish  heights  of 
passion,  but  always  remain  calm  and  col- 
lected ;  but  what  harmony  and  precision  in 
the  whole !  One  might  imagine  that  they 
were  guided  by  a  mathematical  study,  as  it 
were,  of  their  art,  and  that  they  had  under- 
taken to  put  it  into  methodical  practice. 
From  this  come  that  unison,  that  evenness 
of  the  whole,  which  have  earned  such  high 
encomiums  for  the  Meininger  Company. 
The  great  actress  Wolter,  the  Ristori  of  the 
North,  by  her  intellectual  qualities  stands  in 
the  first  rank  among  the  actresses  of  the 
century.  In  talent  and  penetration,  and  in 
identification  of  herself  with  her  roles,  she  is 
second  to  none,  and  she  is  not  wanting  in  a 
spark  of  genius  to  illuminate  her  carefully 
elaborated  interpretations. 

I  remained  at  Vienna  from  February  22 
to  April  8,  and  played  twenty-five  times 
in  "Othello,"  "Hamlet,"  "Macbeth,"  the 
"Gladiator,"  the  "  Morte  Civile,"  "David 


i;8  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

Garrick,"  and  "  Ingomar."  I  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  author  of  the  last  very 
beautiful  and  interesting  composition,  Baron 
von  Bellinhausen,  who  wrote  under  the  pseu- 
donym of  F.  Halm,  and  he  was  kind  enough 
to  declare  me  his  most  successful  interpreter. 
If  you  can  only  succeed  in  an  enterprise, 
your  temerity  in  having  attempted  it  will 
always  be  condoned;  and  it  was  in  truth 
a  temerity  on  my  part  to  play  in  Vienna  a 
German  piece  which  had  already  been  ad- 
mirably presented  by  celebrated  actors.  But 
"  fortune  favors  the  brave  !  " 


A    RECITATION    AT    DOM    PEDRO  S 

DURING  my  season  in  Vienna,  Dom  Pedro 
d' Alcantara,  Emperor  of  Brazil,  and  the  most 
erudite  crowned  head  of  the  century,  was  ex- 
pected in  that  city.  One  morning  at  eight 
o'clock  the  secretary  of  the  Brazilian  legation 
came  to  my  hotel  to  announce  to  me  that  the 
Emperor  Dom  Pedro  desired  to  see  me  as 
soon  as  possible.  I  dressed  at  once,  and  at 
nine  I  was  in  the  presence  of  his  Majesty.  As 
soon  as  he  saw  me  he  said  to  me  in  pure  Ital- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     179 

ian,  and  with  as  much  eagerness  as  if  he  were 
asking  me  to  save  his  throne :  "  Salvini,  you 
must  do  me  a  service ! "  I  was  somewhat 
taken  aback,  for  I  did  not  see  how  I  could  be 
in  a  position  to  do  service  to  an  emperor. 
"Your  Majesty,"  I  said,  "in  what  can  I  be 
so  happy  as  to  serve  you  ?  "  He  answered : 
"  You  must  play  the  '  Morte  Civile.' '  I  was 
reassured  and  breathed  freely,  and  answered : 
"  It  will  give  me  much  pleasure,  your  Majesty ; 
but  I  have  already  given  the  '  Morte  Civile ' 
five  times,  and  I  fear  that  the  public  may  have 
had  enough  of  it."  "  Do  it  the  sixth  time  for 
me,"  said  the  Emperor,  "and  never  mind  the 
public."  I  said:  "Your  Majesty's  judgment 
outbalances  that  of  an  entire  public,  and  your 
desire  shall  be  satisfied  as  an  honor  to  myself." 
On  that  evening  all  aristocratic  Austria 
crowded  the  Ring  Theater.  During  Dom 
Pedro's  sojourn  in  Vienna,  I  was  invited  to 
recite  Prati's  poem  "  La  Cena  d'Alboino,"  in 
a  large  concert-hall,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Viennese  students.  In  addition  the  entertain- 
ment consisted  of  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  Dom  Pedro  was  among  the  first  of  the 
audience  to  arrive.  While  I  was  waiting  my 
turn,  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  Emperor  Francis 


i8o  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

Joseph  invited  Dom  Pedro  to  go  to  the  impe- 
rial palace  on  some  pressing  business.  Dom 
Pedro  was  visibly  annoyed,  but  he  arose  and 
left  the  hall,  so  I  had  to  make  my  recitation 
without  him  as  an  auditor.  Before  he  left 
Vienna,  being  unable  to  return  all  the  innu- 
merable attentions  paid  to  him,  he  directed  his 
minister  to  give  a  grand  entertainment,  and  I 
was  not  forgotten.  Unfortunately  I  had  to 
play  Othello  on  the  night  in  question.  Greatly 
fatigued  as  I  always  was  by  that  play,  when 
it  was  done  I  dressed,  and  went  to  the  Bra- 
zilian minister's  residence.  The  crowd  of  no- 
bles and  dignitaries,  with  all  the  feminine 
aristocracy  of  Vienna,  was  so  dense  as  to 
make  it  almost  impossible  to  pass  from  one 
room  to  another.  I  placed  myself  in  a  door- 
way, and  perceived  Dom  Pedro  before  me, 
who,  while  talking  with  the  Princess  Metter- 
nich,  kept  turning  his  glance  in  my  direction. 
Of  a  sudden  he  rose,  and,  coming  straight  up 
to  me,  he  requested  me  to  repeat  the  poem  of 
Prati's  of  which  he  was  so  fond,  and  which  he 
had  been  unable  to  hear  at  the  Academy.  I 
saw  that  I  was  lost. 

11  Your    Majesty,"    said    I,    "I    come    from 
playing  Othello,  and  my  voice  is  rough  from 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    TOMMASO   SALVINI     181 

it ;  moreover,  I  do  not  know  whether  it  will 
be  opportune  for  me  to  recite  in  Italian  be- 
fore these  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  are  not 
acquainted  with  the  language." 

"  Never  mind!  Never  mind!"  he  replied. 
"If  these  gentlemen  do  not  understand,  so 
much  the  worse  for  them  ;  but  you  will  do 
me  a  very  great  pleasure,  for  I  am  very  fond 
of  those  verses  of  Prati's,  whom  I  know  per- 
sonally." 

How  could  I  refuse  ?  Soon  the  orchestra, 
which  had  been  playing  on  a  raised  dais, 
passed  into  another  room,  and  the  dais  was 
left  free  for  my  stage.  Dom  Pedro  himself 
directed  the  placing  of  chairs  in  rows  like 
those  of  a  theater ;  and  when  all  was  ready, 
and  the  company  had  been  informed  of  what 
I  was  to  recite,  the  Emperor  invited  me  to 
begin.  I  found  that  not  all  my  audience 
were  ignorant  of  Italian,  for  from  time  to 
time  there  were  spontaneous  cries  of  Bravo  ! 
and  Bene !  Some  understood,  some  pre- 
tended to  understand,  and  most  understood 
not  a  word.  My  recitation  was  nevertheless 
effective,  and  when  it  was  done  I  was  sur- 
rounded by  many  beautiful  ladies  and  by 
many  gentlemen,  who  offered  me  abundant 


182  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

congratulations — perhaps  to  pay  their  court 
to  the  Emperor.  Dom  Pedro  waited  until 
the  crowd  had  finished  its  phrases  of  admira- 
tion, and  then  approached  me,  much  moved, 
and  spoke  in  my  ear  only  the  words:  " Sub- 
lime! Thank  you."  This  was  at  about  two 
o'clock,  and  I  drove  back  to  my  lodgings  so 
wearied  and  worn  out  that  I  could  not  sleep, 
by  reason  of  my  overwrought  nerves.  The 
next  day  I  concluded  that  it  was  at  no  little 
sacrifice  that  one  could  win  the  admiration 
of  an  emperor.  I  ought,  however,  to  be 
grateful  to  him,  for  after  such  an  advertise- 
ment the  Ring  Theater  was  patronized  by 
the  best  society  during  the  remaining  nights 
of  my  season. 


PLAYING    AT    POTSDAM 

FROM  Vienna  I  went  to  Pesth,  thence  to 
Prague,  and  then  to  Berlin.  In  the  capital 
of  Germany  I  met  with  a  flattering  greeting. 
I  had  the  opportunity  to  know  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  in  literature  and  in  art.  The 
court  displayed  much  interest  in  my  acting, 
and  the  old  Emperor  William  particularly,  as 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     183 

I  judged,  must  have  felt  much  sympathy  for 
me,  for  he  would  rise  from  his  chair  and  go 
to  the  back  of  his  box  to  applaud  without 
being  seen.  It  appears  that  etiquette  imposed 
upon  him  reserve  in  open  manifestation  of 
approval.  The  Crown -princess  Victoria,  now 
the  widow  of  the  Emperor  Frederick,  honored 
me  with  undisguised  marks  of  her  approval, 
and  did  not  lose  a  single  one  of  my  per- 
formances. People  wanted  me  to  petition  for 
presentation  at  court,  but  I  declined,  for  the 
reason  that  I  did  not  care  to  expose  myself 
to  the  humiliation  of  a  refusal,  and  that  if  any 
of  the  august  personages  desired  to  know  me 
personally,  they  had  only  to  command  my 
presence  before  them.  It  seemed  that  eti- 
quette did  not  admit  of  that ;  but  my  feeling 
of  delicacy  kept  me  fixed  in  my  resolution. 
At  last  I  received  a  summons  to  present  my- 
self at  court.  I  was  received  by  the  Crown- 
prince  Frederick  William  and  the  Crown- 
princess  Victoria,  with  all  their  children,  then 
very  small,  and  was  treated  with  the  greatest 
affability  and  courtesy.  Among  many  ques- 
tions which  they  put  to  me,  they  asked  me 
whether  I  should  have  any  objection  to  give 
a  play  with  my  company  in  the  theater  at 


184  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

Potsdam.  I  could  not  refuse  so  kindly  an 
invitation.  The  evening  and  the  play  were 
decided  upon.  The  next  day  a  chamberlain 
came  to  ask  me  diplomatically  what  compen- 
sation I  wished  for  giving  this  play  at  the 
private  court  theater.  I  answered  that  when 
I  gave  my  cooperation  for  an  entertainment 
outside  of  a  public  theater  it  was  not  my 
custom  to  fix  a  price,  and  that  I  would  not 
do  it.  The  chamberlain,  however,  insisted, 
saying  that  it  was  not  proper  that  the  court 
should  accept  a  gift ;  to  which  I  replied  that 
it  was  not  my  intention  to  make  a  gift,  and 
that  I  would  ask  as  my  compensation  the 
gloves  which  the  Crown-princess  would  have 
worn  when  applauding  me.  I  had  great 
trouble  to  persuade  the  diplomatic  messenger 
to  take  back  my  answer,  but  he  had  to  con- 
tent himself  with  it.  On  the  appointed  day 
I  took  my  company  to  Potsdam  to  play 
"  Sullivan,"  a  comedy  for  which  only  the 
dress  of  to-day  is  requisite.  All  my  actors 
were  lodged  in  a  wing  of  the  palace,  where 
refreshments  were  provided,  and  I  was  in- 
vited to  take  my  place  in  a  carriage  in  which 
were  the  Crown-princess  Victoria  and  her 
sons,  and  we  drove  to  Sans  Souci  to  visit 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI     185 

the  memorials  to  Frederick  the  Great  and  to 
Voltaire.  The  Princess  described  every  object 
and  locality  to  me  in  detail,  with  the  greatest 
interest  and  affability,  together  with  all  the 
memories  attached  to  scenes  so  full  of  associa- 
tions. Upon  our  return  to  the  palace,  I  made 
ready  to  give  my  play.  A  sudden  indisposi- 
tion kept  the  old  Emperor  from  being  present. 
The  small  but  graceful  theater  was  literally 
packed  with  the  official  representatives  of  all 
nations,  with  the  most  distinguished  of  the 
nobility,  the  diplomatic  corps,  the  magistracy, 
and  the  military.  The  performance  was  of 
glacial  frigidity,  for  at  court  all  applause  is 
absolutely  prohibited.  After  the  play  I  was 
invited  to  take  tea  with  the  Crown-prince  and 
Crown-princess,  and  I  found  myself  in  the 
midst  of  all  these  beautiful  and  elegant  ladies 
and  distinguished  gentlemen,  who  plied  me 
with  questions,  congratulations,  and  compli- 
ments. Of  these  one,  which  surpassed  all 
the  others  both  in  its  form  and  in  its  exquisite 
idea,  was  addressed  to  me  by  the  Crown- 
princess,  who  said  to  me :  "  Since  Rachel, 
you  are  the  first,  Salvini,  to  tread  the  stage 
at  Potsdam  ;  I  think  that  its  doors  must  be 
closed  after  so  great  an  event ! "  And  in  fact 


1 86  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

the  doors  of  the  theater  in  Potsdam  have  not 
been  reopened  since  my  appearance  there.  I 
went  away  from  Berlin  delighted  with  the 
kindness  and  courtesy  of  the  German  court, 
and  with  a  public  of  such  intelligence ;  and 
upon  my  arrival  at  Trieste,  where  I  stopped 
to  make  four  appearances,  I  was  informed 
by  the  German  consul  that  there  was  an  ob- 
ject addressed  to  me  at  the  custom-house.  I 
went  there,  and  found  a  ring  with  a  solitaire 
diamond  which  had  been  sent  to  me  by  the 
Emperor  William  and  the  Crown-prince  and 
Crown-princess,  as  a  souvenir  of  my  appear- 
ance at  Potsdam. 


A    SECOND    VISIT    TO    PARIS 

MY  company  was  still  engaged  for  the 
whole  month  of  June,  and  I  wished  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  appear  four 
times  at  Venice.  The  Princess  Margherita 
of  Savoy,  now  our  beloved  queen,  was  at 
Venice  for  the  sea-bathing,  and  was  present 
at  all  my  performances.  I  preserve  pre- 
ciously a  beautiful  souvenir  which  she  was 
good  enough  to  send  me.  From  Venice  I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI      187 

returned  to  Florence,  and  again  took  up  my 
wanderings  with  different  actors  and  ac- 

o 

tresses.  I  opened  at  Paris,  October  3,  1877, 
in  the  Salle  Ventadour ;  of  all  that  I  played 
there,  to  the  "  Morte  Civile"  was  adjudged 
the  palm.  It  was  a  real  revelation  to  the 
Parisians.  It  would  be  tedious  to  repeat  all 
that  the  greatest  artistic  and  literary  lumina- 
ries wrote  of  it.  Victor  Hugo,  La  Pomme- 
raye,  Zola,  Gautier,  Vitu,  elevated  to  the  stars 
both  composition  and  interpretation.  The 
celebrated  dramatic  critic  Vitu  even  made  a 
translation  of  it,  so  that  it  might  be  acted  in 
French  at  the  Odeon.  Not  "  Othello,"  not 
"  Macbeth,"  not  "  Ingomar,"  nothing  aroused 
such  interest  as  Paolo  Giacometti's  drama. 

After  three  nights  at  Antwerp,  six  at  Brus- 
sels, and  two  at  Lille,  I  went  back  to  Paris 
for  eleven  more,  five  of  which  were  devoted 
to  the  "  Morte  Civile." 


ESTIMATE    OF    MOUNET-SULLY 

IN  Paris  I  had  the  opportunity  to  know  the 
famous  Mounet- Sully,  whom  I  admired  much 
in  Victor  Hugo's  "  Hernani,"  and  to  whom  I 


1 88  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

permitted  myself  to  make  a  small  criticism 
on  his  highly  artistic  and  meritorious  per- 
formance— a  criticism  of  the  justice  of  which 
he  was  fully  convinced.  It  is  only  conscien- 
tious artists  who  are  able  to  recognize  their 
own  defects.  I  found  in  Mounet-Sully  too 
much  nervousness ;  he  was  always  on  the 
stretch,  continually  in  forced  action,  as  if 
something  might  break  at  any  moment.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  presence,  of  most  accurate 
delivery,  and  if  he  could  have  freed  himself 
from  the  traditions  imposed  upon  him  by  the 
Conservatory, — traditions  to  which  all  French 
actors  who  adopt  the  serious  style  are  sub- 
jected,—  it  would  have  aided  him  to  be  less 
conventional.  He  is  to-day  one  of  the  most 
solid  pillars  of  the  Maison  de  Moliere,  and 
that  is  not  a  little  thing. 


SARAH    BERNHARDT 

ONE  night  when  I  went  on  the  stage  to 
see  Mounet-Sully  he  presented  me  to  Mme. 
Sarah  Bernhardt.  I  had  never  heard  that 
excellent  artist  except  as  Dona  Sol  in  "  Her- 
nani."  I  was  entirely  satisfied  with  her  physi- 
cal and  vocal  gifts,  as  well  as  with  her  incisive 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI     189 

and  penetrating  diction,  but  it  seemed  to  me 
that  her  movements  were  a  little  angular.  I 
saw  her  another  time  in  the  "Dame  aux  Ca- 
melias,"  and  she  was  attractive  in  the  earlier 
acts,  both  from  her  "  voice  of  gold,"  as  the 
French  style  it,  and  from  the  naturalism  with 
which  she  molded  the  character.  At  some 
points  I  noted  a  little  precipitation  in  her  de- 
livery, the  reason  for  which  I  had  not  ob- 
served in  Victor  Hugo's  verses ;  and  while  I 
recognized  in  her  superior  talent  for  assum- 
ing her  role  and  modulating  the  various  ex- 
pressions of  the  voice,  for  so  accentuating 
her  phrases  as  to  give  them  brilliancy,  and 
for  making  herself  up  with  that  attractiveness 
which  is,  perhaps,  peculiar  to  French  ac- 
tresses, yet  I  could  not  help  noticing,  espe- 
cially in  the  last  act  of  the  play,  a  seeking 
after  effects  that  were  discordant  with  the  po- 
sition and  character  of  the  personage.  I  saw 
her  afterward  at  Florence  in  Sardou's  "  La 
Tosca,"  and  in  that  play  she  produced  the 
same  effect  on  me.  She  has  very  great  gifts, 
an  exceptional  artistic  quality,  and  notable 
defects.  When  I  went  through  Paris  on  my 
last  return  from  North  America,  I  saw  her  in 
"Jeanne  d'Arc." 

I  am  not  blind  to  the  fascinating  merits  of 


190  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

that  eccentric  actress,  and  I  proclaim  her  the 
brightest  star  which  has  in  recent  years  risen 
above  the  horizon  of  dramatic  art ;  but  I  ask, 
is  the  superiority  attributed  to  her  by  the 
world  all  pure  gold?  Is  there  not  in  it  a  taint 
of  alloy?  Her  sentiment,  her  artistic  in- 
tuition, the  acuteness  of  her  interpretation, 
her  moving  and  harmonious  voice,  the  just 
accentuation  of  her  phrasing,  the  tastefulness 
of  her  dress — all  this  is  gold,  pure  gold.  A 
slight  tendency  to  declamation,  a  use  of  ges- 
ticulation not  always  appropriate,  a  marked 
precipitation  of  speech,  especially  at  critical 
moments,  and  a  pronounced  monotony  in  pa- 
thetic expression,  constitute  the  alloy.  So 
much  has  been,  and  is  still,  said  of  the  extrav- 
agances of  that  original  genius,  that  wherever 
she  goes,  no  one  will  stay  away  from  seeing 
her.  It  must,  however,  be  admitted  that  all 
these  advertisements  draw  more  attention  to 
the  woman  than  to  the  actress. 


COQUELIN 

I  MUST  give,  too,  my  impression  of  another 
celebrated  French  artist,  an  impression  which 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     191 

is  highly  favorable  to  him,  yet  not  without  a 
"but,"  for  which  he  will  bear  me  no  grudge. 
He  is  the  cleverest,  the  most  exact,  the  most 
delicate,  the  most  keen  in  his  delivery  of  a 
monologue  that  our  century  has  produced. 
Every  one  has  already  perceived  that  I  re- 
fer to  the  elder  Coquelin.  How  subtle  and 
bright  is  the  intelligence  which  this  actor 
brings  into  play  to  give  life  to  his  delivery! 
With  how  artistic  a  touch  he  colors  every  pe- 
riod, every  phrase !  In  how  just  a  measure 
he  balances  his  effects,  so  insinuating  his 
humorous  anecdotes  that  one  would  fancy 
they  were  told  by  many  persons  and  not  by 
himself  alone!  The  variety  of  his  voice,  the 
mobility  of  his  face,  are  powerful  auxiliaries, 
which  he  uses  with  studied  art ;  he  is  never 
vulgar,  never  artificial,  never  monotonous, 
never  incorrect.  If  this  almost  perfect  artist 
could  disabuse  himself  in  the  matter  of  play- 
ing a  few  parts  which  are  not  adapted  either 
to  his  natural  tendencies  or  to  his  character- 
istic face,  if  he  would  confine  himself  to  such 
typical  characters  as  do  not  have  to  support 
the  responsibility  of  the  entire  play,  in  my 
opinion  he  would  heighten  his  fame.  When 
one  does  everything,  one  does  too  much,  and 


I92  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

can  with  difficulty  attain  to  perfection.  For 
that  matter,  this  fault  is  found  in  many  great 
artists,  and  I  have  seen  but  rare  exceptions. 


THE    FRENCH    PUBLIC 

WHAT  can  I  say  of  the  French  public  ? 
Has  it  a  taste  of  its  own,  an  independent 
judgment?  I  doubt  it.  Those  ten,  twenty, 
and  thirty  men  of  superior  intelligence  who 
never  miss  a  first  night,  whether  of  music  or 
drama,  guide  and  lead  after  them  the  mass 
of  the  audience.  Would  the  claque  with  its 
paid  applause  ever  have  become  established 
in  France  if  the  public  had  an  opinion  of  its 
own  ?  And  if  it  had  such  an  opinion,  would 
it  submit  to  the  imposition  of  judgment  upon 
it?  It  is  very  true  that  if  the  play  or  the 
actor  is  not  in  touch  with  the  audience,  the 
claque  has  not  the  power  to  force  it  to  return 
and  see  the  same  play,  but  it  serves,  never- 
theless, to  modify  any  distaste  on  the  part  of 
the  public.  In  Italy  it  could  have  no  other 
effect  than  to  make  the  public  still  more 
hostile  to  a  play.  One  can  never  obtain 
a  sincere,  independent,  legitimate  judgment 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     193 

from  the  mass  of  the  French  public.  If  the 
thirty  intelligent  persons  do  not  approve,  the 
mass  will  remain  indifferent.  And  just  so  it 
is  with  the  press.  If  the  papers  favor  a  play, 
they  have  much  influence  on  public  opinion, 
they  incite  the  people  to  fill  the  theater,  and 
the  audience,  whether  it  will  or  no,  is  per- 
suaded that  it  has  been  amused.  If  the  cen- 
sors are  unfavorable,  the  house  will  stay 
empty.  Hence  it  results  that  it  is  never  the 
public  which  decides,  but  the  thirty  assiduous 
men  of  intelligence  who  render  the  verdict, 
and  the  press  which  condemns  or  applauds. 
When  I  was  again  in  Florence,  I  lived 
quietly  and  happily  with  my  wife,  whom  I 
could  not  take  with  me  on  my  professional 
tours,  since  she  was  obliged  to  attend  to  our 
family  affairs,  and  to  care  as  well  for  her  own 
health.  During  the  summer  I  busied  myself 
with  my  garden  and  vineyard  on  my  small 
property  near  Florence.  At  the  end  of  Octo- 
ber, 1879,  we  returned  to  our  winter  quarters 
in  Florence,  and  on  November  13  our  second 
child  was  born,  after  which  event  my  wife  was 
taken  with  an  obstinate  fever ;  then  inflam- 
mation set  in,  and  finally  scarlet  fever,  which 
in  her  enfeebled  condition  did  not  break 


i94  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

out  openly,  but  none  the  less  accomplished 
its  maleficent  work.  After  a  month  of  suffer- 
ing under  this  accumulation  of  ills,  a  violent 
attack  of  peritonitis  developed,  and  the  poor 
creature,  worn  out,  lost  her  reason  and  then 
her  life,  leaving  me  two  little  babies  as 
memorials  of  our  love. 

I  cannot  describe  my  anguish  of  mind. 
The  world  imagines  that  the  artist  wraps  up 
all  his  aspirations  in  his  own  self-love.  It  is 
indeed  true  that  that  satisfaction  appeals  to 
the  mind,  but  it  cannot  compensate  for  the 
tortures  of  the  heart.  Not  to  have  known 
my  mother,  who  died  when  I  was  two  years 
old;  to  have  lost  my  father  at  fifteen;  to  have 
seen  waste  away,  still  young,  the  woman  who 
first  inspired  me  with  deep  affection;  to  have 
been  bereaved  of  my  wife,  who  was  not  yet 
twenty- four;  and  finally,  to  see  a  brother  die 
upon  whom  I  had  counted  as  the  friend  of 
my  old  age — all  this  I  have  endured.  Truly 
those  who  have  no  feelings  are  most  happy ! 


A   TOUR    OF    EASTERN    EUROPE 

LEFT  alone  by  the  death  of  my  wife,  with 
my   well-grown  sons  at  school,  and  my  last 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    TOMMASO   SALVINI     195 

children  too  young  to  give  me  any  consola- 
tion, I  threw  myself  with  renewed  ardor  into 
the  embrace  of  art,  resolved  to  seek  no  other 
distraction,  but  to  look  for  relief  and  oblivion 
in  unwearied  study,  in  practice  on  the  stage, 
in  continuous  traveling;  but  throughout  four 
years  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  forget  my 
misfortune.  All  that  was  not  connected  with 
my  art  was  repulsive  to  me:  to  new  acquain- 
tanceships I  was  indifferent;  traveling  did  not 
cheer  me;  and  even  in  the  exercise  of  my 
profession  the  dominating  recollection  of  the 
irreparable  loss  I  had  suffered  remained  fixed 
in  my  mind. 

On  November  n,  1879,  I  again  started 
out,  this  time  for  Trieste,  whence  I  went 
again  to  Vienna.  Having  given  a  few  nights 
at  Pesth,  I  went  on  to  the  cosmopolitan  city 
of  Russia,  Odessa.  There  everybody  has 
a  more  or  less  complete  knowledge  of  Italian, 
and  I  had  a  festive  greeting  from  the  hetero- 
geneous population. 

I  remained  in  Odessa  from  January  15  to 
February  20,  1880,  and  then  went  to  Rou- 
mania,  where  I  first  appeared  on  February 
23.  I  played  six  times  at  Jassy,  three  times 
at  Galatz,  twice  at  Braila,  and  finally,  on 
March  20,  I  proceeded  to  the  capital,  and 


196  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

stayed  there  until  April  14.  I  was  so  well 
received  by  the  people  and  their  rulers,  that 
the  Prince,  now  King  Charles  I.,  honored 
me  with  the  Star  of  Roumania.  The  schol- 
arly Princess,  now  Queen  Pauline  Elizabeth 
("Carmen  Sylva"),  showed  me  the  greatest 
kindness  and  courtesy.  She  had  the  kind- 
ness to  read  to  me  one  of  her  poetical  works, 
written  in  French,  which  seemed  to  me  full 
of  dash  and  interest,  and  elegant  in  form.  I 
shall  always  retain  an  agreeable  memory  of 
the  exquisite  welcome  of  that  court.  After 
leaving  Bucharest  I  played  three  times  at 
Cracow,  and  on  April  20  left  Roumania  to  re- 
turn to  Florence,  in  order  to  take  breath  for 
my  future  peregrinations. 

TRAGEDY    IN    TWO    LANGUAGES 

IN  this  year  the  agent  of  an  impresario  and 
theater-owner  of  Boston  came  to  Florence  to 
make  me  the  proposal  that  I  should  go  to 
North  America  for  the  second  time,  to  play 
in  Italian  supported  by  an  American  com- 
pany. I  thought  the  man  had  lost  his  senses. 
But  after  a  time  I  became  convinced  that  he 
was  in  his  right  mind,  and  that  no  one  would 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     197 

undertake  a  long  and  costly  journey  simply 
to  play  a  joke,  and  I  took  his  extraordinary 
proposition  into  serious  consideration,  and 
asked  him  for  explanations. 

"The  idea  is  this,"  the  agent  made  answer; 
"it  is  very  simple.  You  found  favor  the  last 
time  with  the  American  public  with  your 
Italian  company,  when  not  a  word  that  was 
said  was  understood,  and  the  proprietor  of 
the  Globe  Theater  of  Boston  thinks  that  if  he 
puts  with  you  English-speaking  actors,  you 
will  yourself  be  better  understood,  since  all 
the  dialogue  of  your  supporters  will  be  plain. 
The  audience  will  concern  itself  only  with  fol- 
lowing you,  with  the  aid  of  the  play-books  in 
both  languages,  and  will  not  have  to  pay  any 
attention  to  the  others,  whose  words  it  will 
understand." 

"  But  how  shall  I  take  my  cue,  since  I  do 
not  understand  English?  And  how  will  your 
American  actors  know  when  to  speak,  since 
they  do  not  know  Italian  ?  " 

"  Have  no  anxiety  about  that,"  said  the 
agent.  "Our  American  actors  are  mathema- 
ticians, and  can  memorize  perfectly  the  last 
words  of  your  speeches,  and  they  will  work 
with  the  precision  of  machines." 
13* 


198  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

''I  am  ready  to  admit  that,"  said  I,  "  al- 
though I  do  not  think  it  will  be  so  easy ;  but 
it  will  in  any  case  be  much  easier  for  them, 
who  will  have  to  deal  with  me  alone,  and  will 
divide  the  difficulty  among  twenty  or  twenty- 
four,  than  for  me,  who  must  take  care  of. all." 

The  persevering  agent,  however,  closed 
my  mouth  with  the  words,  "  You  do  not  sign 
yourself  '  Salvini '  for  nothing  !  "  He  had  an 
answer  for  everything,  he  was  prepared  to 
convince  me  at  all  points,  to  persuade  me 
about  everything,  and  to  smooth  over  every 
difficulty,  and  he  won  a  consent  which, 
though  almost  involuntary  on  my  part,  was 
legalized  by  a  contract  in  due  form,  by  which 
I  undertook  to  be  at  New  York  not  later 
than  November  15,  1880,  and  to  be  ready  to 
open  at  Philadelphia  with  "  Othello"  on  the 
29th  of  the  same  month. 

I  was  still  dominated  by  my  bereavement, 
and  the  thought  was  pleasant  to  me  of  going 
away  from  places  which  constantly  brought 
it  back  to  my  mind.  Another  sky,  other 
customs,  another  language,  grave  responsi- 
bilities, a  novel  and  difficult  undertaking  of 
uncertain  outcome — I  was  willing  to  risk  all 
simply  to  distract  my  attention  and  to  forget. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     199 

I  have  never  in  my  life  been  a  gambler,  but 
that  time  I  staked  my  artistic  reputation  upon 
a  single  card.  Failure  would  have  been  a 
new  emotion,  severe  and  grievous,  it  is  true, 
but  still  different  from  that  which  filled  my 
mind.  I  played,  and  I  won  !  The  friends 
whom  I  had  made  in  the  United  States  in 
1873,  and  with  whom  I  had  kept  up  my  ac- 
quaintance, when  they  learned  of  the  con- 
fusion of  tongues,  wrote  me  discouraging 
letters.  In  Italy  the  thing  was  not  be- 
lieved, so  eccentric  did  it  seem.  I  arrived  in 
New  York  nervous  and  feverish,  but  not  dis- 
couraged or  depressed. 

When  the  day  of  the  first  rehearsal  came, 
all  the  theaters  were  occupied,  and  I  had  to 
make  the  best  of  a  rather  large  concert-hall 
to  try  to  get  in  touch  with  the  actors  who 
were  to  support  me.  An  Italian  who  was 
employed  in  a  newspaper-office  served  me  as 
interpreter  in  cooperation  with  the  agent  of 
my  Boston  impresario.  The  American  ar- 
tists began  the  rehearsal  without  a  prompter, 
and  with  a  sureness  to  be  envied  especially 
by  our  Italian  actors,  who  usually  must  have 
every  word  suggested  to  them.  My  turn 
came,  and  the  few  words  which  Othello  pro- 


200  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

nounces  in  the  first  scene  came  in  smoothly 
and  without  difficulty.  When  the  scene  with 
the  Council  of  Ten  came,  of  a  sudden  I  could 
not  recall  the  first  line  of  a  paragraph,  and  I 
hesitated;  I  began  a  line,  but  it  was  not  that; 
I  tried  another  with  no  better  success;  a 
third,  but  the  interpreter  told  me  that  I  had 
gone  wrong.  We  began  again,  but  the  Eng- 
lish was  of  no  assistance  to  me  in  recognizing 
which  of  my  speeches  corresponded  to  that 
addressed  to  me,  which  I  did  not  understand. 
I  was  all  at  sea,  and  I  told  the  interpreter  to 
beg  the  actors  to  overlook  my  momentary 
confusion,  and  to  say  to  them  that  I  should 
be  all  right  in  five  minutes.  I  went  off  to  a 
corner  of  the  hall  and  bowed  my  head  be- 
tween my  hands,  saying  to  myself,  "I  have 
come  for  this,  and  I  must  carry  it  through." 

I  set  out  to  number  mentally  all  the  para- 
graphs of  my  part,  and  in  a  short  time  I  said, 

II  Let  us  begin  again." 

During  the  remainder  of  the  rehearsal  one 
might  have  thought  that  I  understood  Eng- 
lish, and  that  the  American  actors  understood 
Italian.  No  further  mistake  was  made  by 
either  side;  there  was  not  even  the  smallest 
hesitation,  and  when  I  finished  the  final  scene 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TQMMASO   SALVINI     201 

of  the  third  act  between  Othello  and  lago, 
the  actors  applauded,  filled  with  joy  and 
pleasure.  The  exactitude  with  which  the 
subsequent  rehearsals  of  "Othello,"  and  those 
of  "Hamlet,"  proceeded  was  due  to  the 
memory,  the  application,  and  the  scrupulous 
attention  to  their  work  of  the  American 
actors,  as  well  as  to  my  own  force  of  will  and 
practical  acquaintance  with  all  the  parts  of 
the  play,  and  to  the  natural  intuition  which 
helped  me  to  know  without  understanding 
what  was  addressed  to  me,  divining  it  from 
a  motion,  a  look,  or  a  light  inflection  of  the 
voice.  Gradually  a  few  words,  a  few  short 
phrases,  remained  in  my  ear,  and  in  course  of 
time  I  came  to  understand  perfectly  every 
word  of  all  the  characters;  I  became  so  sure 
of  myself  that  if  an  actor  substituted  one 
word  for  another  I  perceived  it.  I  under- 
stood the  words  of  Shakspere,  but  not  those 
of  the  spoken  language. 

In  a  few  days  we  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
begin  our  representations.  My  old  acquain- 
tances were  in  despair.  To  those  who  had 
sought  to  discourage  me  by  their  letters 
others  on  the  spot  joined  their  influence,  and 
tried  everything  to  overthrow  my  courage.  I 


202  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

must  admit  that  the  nearer  came  the  hour  of 
the  great  experiment,  the  more  my  anxiety 
grew,  and  inclined  me  to  deplore  the  moment 
when  I  had  put  myself  in  that  dilemma.  I 
owe  it  in  a  great  degree  to  my  cool  head  that 
my  discouraging  forebodings  did  not  unman 
me  so  much  as  to  make  me  abandon  myself 
wholly  to  despair.  Just  as  I  was  going  on 
the  stage,  I  said  to  myself:  " After  all,  what 
can  happen  to  me  ?  They  will  not  murder 
me.  I  shall  have  tried,  and  I  shall  have 
failed;  that  is  all  there  will  be  to  it.  I  will 
pack  up  my  baggage  and  go  back  to  Italy, 
convinced  that  oil  and  wine  will  not  mix." 
A  certain  contempt  of  danger,  a  firm  resolu- 
tion to  succeed,  and,  I  am  bound  to  add,  con- 
siderable confidence  in  myself,  enabled  me  to 
go  before  the  public  calm,  bold,  and  secure. 

The  first  scene  before  the  palace  of  Bra- 
bantio  was  received  with  sepulchral  silence. 
When  that  of  the  Council  of  Ten  came,  and 
the  narration  of  the  vicissitudes  of  Othello 
was  ended,  the  public  broke  forth  in  pro- 
longed applause.  Then  I  said  to  myself: 
''A  good  beginning  is  half  the  work."  At 
the  close  of  the  first  act,  my  adversaries,  who 
were  such  solely  on  account  of  their  love  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     203 

art,  and  their  belief  that  the  two  languages 
could  not  be  amalgamated,  came  on  the  stage 
to  embrace  and  congratulate  me,  surprised, 
enchanted,  enthusiastic,  happy  that  they  had 
been  mistaken,  and  throughout  the  play  I 
was  the  object  of  constant  demonstrations  of 
sympathy. 

AMERICAN    CRITICAL   TASTE 

FROM  Philadelphia  we  went  to  New  York, 
where  our  success  was  confirmed.  It  re- 
mained for  me  to  win  the  suffrages  of  Boston, 
and  I  secured  them,  first  having  made  stops 
in  Brooklyn,  New  JHayeiv^-aftd  Harjjnrd. 
When  in  the  American  Athens  I  became 
convinced  that  that  city  possesses  the  most 
refined  artistic  taste.  The  theatrical  audi- 
ences are  serious,  attentive  to  details,  ana- 
lytical,— I  might  almost  say  scientific, — and 
one  might  fancy  that  such  careful  critics  had 
never  in  their  lives  done  anything  but  occupy 
themselves  with  scenic  art.  With  reference 
to  a  presentation  of  Shakspere,  they  are  pro- 
found, acute,  subtile,  and  they  know  so  well 
how  to  clothe  some  traditional  principle  in 
close  logic,  that  if  faith  in  the  opposite  is  not 


204  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

quite  unshakable  in  an  artist,  he  must  feel 
himself  tempted  to  renounce  his  own  tenets. 
It  is  surprising  that  in  a  land  where  industry 
and  commerce  seem  to  absorb  all  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  people,  there  should  be  in  every 
city  and  district,  indeed  in  every  village,  peo- 
ple who  are  competent  to  discuss  the  arts 
with  such  high  authority.  The  American 
nation  counts  only  a  century  of  freedom,  yet 
it  has  produced  a  remarkable  number  of  men 
of  high  competence  in  dramatic  art.  Those 
who  think  of  tempting  fortune  by  displaying 
their  untried  artistic  gifts  on  the  American 
stage,  counting  on  the  ignorance  or  inexperi- 
ence of  their  audience,  make  a  very  unsafe 
calculation.  The  taste  and  critical  faculty  of 
that  public  are  in  their  fullness  of  vigor. 
Old  Europe  is  more  bound  by  traditions, 
more  weary,  more  blase,  in  her  judgment,  not 
always  sincere  or  disinterested.  In  Amer- 
ica the  national  pride  is  warmly  felt,  and 
the  national  artists  enjoy  high  honor.  The 
Americans  know  how  to  offer  an  exquisite 
hospitality,  but  woe  to  the  man  who  seeks 
to  impose  on  them  !  They  profess  a  cult,  a 
veneration,  for  those  who  practise  our  art, 
whether  of  their  own  nation  or  foreign,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     205 

their  behavior  in  the  theater  is  dignified.  I 
recall  one  night  when  upon  invitation  I  went 
to  see  a  new  play  in  which  appeared  an  ac- 
tor of  reputation.  The  play  was  not  liked, 
and  from  act  to  act  I  noticed  that  the  house 
grew  more  and  more  scanty,  like  a  faded  rose 
which  loses  its  petals  one  by  one,  until  at  the 
last  scene  my  box  was  the  only  one  which 
remained  occupied.  I  was  more  impressed 
by  this  silent  demonstration  of  hostility  than 
I  should  have  been  if  the  audience  had  made 
a  tumultuous  expression  of  its  disapproval. 
The  actors  were  humiliated  and  confounded, 
and  as  the  curtain  fell  an  instinctive  senti- 
ment of  compassion  induced  me  to  applaud. 
To  return  to  my  tour.  From  Boston  I 
went  to  Montreal  and  Toronto,  thence  to 
Cincinnati  for  a  week,  and  again  to  New 
York  for  a  fortnight.  I  think  that  all  my 
dramatic  colleagues  will  agree  with  me  that 
the  life  of  an  actor  in  America  is  extremely 
wearing.  The  system  obtains  everywhere  of 
opening  the  theaters  every  night,  and  I  can- 
not blame  the  owners  from  the  point  of  view 
of  their  own  interests  ;  for  since  they  hire 
their  watchmen  and  attendants  by  the  year, 
they  must  pay  their  salaries  whether  their 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


f*A. 


OF 


206  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

houses  are  open  or  closed.  They  are  there- 
fore constrained  to  impose  similar  conditions 
upon  the  managers.  The  most  celebrated 
artists  must  therefore  play  every  night  except 
Sunday,  and  in  some  States  even  on  that  day, 
and  on  one  or  two  days  of  the  week  they 
must  play  twice.  Think  of  an  artist,  all  of 
whose  repertory  is  made  up  of  tragedies  of 
Shakspere,  and  tell  me  whether  it  is  possible 
that  human  strength  can  resist  such  a  strain. 
Admitting  that  one's  nerves  may  be  elastic 
enough  to  endure  it,  one  cannot  control  the 
vocal  organs ;  and  after  a  few  weeks  of  such 
exaggerated  effort,  the  actor's  strength  and 
vocal  faculty  diminish,  and  the  later  repre- 
sentations seem  pale,  and  without  the  life  and 
fire  required  for  the  best  results.  I  always 
held  back  from  submitting  myself  to  this  im- 
position ;  I  was  never  willing  to  play  more 
than  four  or  at  the  most  five  times  a  week, 
and  even  to  the  injury  of  my  immediate  in- 
terests I  would  never  depart  from  this  resolu- 
tion. There  may  have  been  actors  able  to 
support  the  burden  more  easily,  but  I  know, 
though  endowed  with  muscles  of  steel,  sound 
health,  and  a  strong  voice,  I  would  not  un- 
dertake it.  I  know  well  that  to  keep  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    207 

machine  in  good  running  order,  there  must 
be  time  to  keep  it  always  polished  and  oiled ; 
with  this  precaution,  even  after  fifty  years  of 
activity,  it  will  not  show  a  trace  of  rust,  and 
will  still  be  in  condition  to  perform  its  regular 
functions.  In  so  long  a  period  my  machine 
was  forced  to  stop  only  twice;  and  both 
times,  after  the  damage  was  repaired, —  dam- 
age which  resulted  not  from  imprudence,  but 
from  unforeseen  accidents, — it  began  running 
again  as  efficiently  as  before.  I  continued 
my  peregrinations  to  Albany,  Buffalo,  Detroit, 
and  Chicago,  and  other  cities  in  the  West 
and  South. 


A   VISIT    TO    THE    CAPITAL 

AT  last  we  proceeded  to  the  capital  of  the 
United  States.  Washington  is  a  very  attrac- 
tive city,  with  superb  edifices,  wide  and  well- 
paved  streets,  beautiful  shops,  and  a  popula- 
tion of  most  agreeable  quality.  It  is  safe  to 
say  that,  after  those  of  Boston,  the  theater 
audiences  there  are  the  most  intelligent  and 
appreciative  in  North  America.  The  dele- 
gates to  Congress,  of  the  different  States, 
with  their  families,  form  an  important  contin- 


208  LEAVES   FROM    THE 

gent  of  intelligence  beyond  the  average.  In 
that  city  I  had  an  experience  worth  relating. 
With  an  acquaintance  who  spoke  Italian  and 
English  I  went  one  day  to  visit  the  Capitol. 
When  we  had  entered  the  majestic  structure, 
and  were  walking  through  the  offices,  the  cor- 
ridors, and  the  private  rooms  of  the  commit- 
tees I  noticed  that  I  was  an  object  of  curios- 
ity to  the  many  people  whom  I  met.  After 
half  an  hour  spent  in  visiting  the  labyrinth 
of  halls  and  galleries,  a  gentleman  presented 
himself  to  me  as  a  member  of  the  House,  and 
invited  me  in  the  name  of  the  Speaker  to 
visit  the  House  of  Representatives.  I  tried 
to  excuse  myself  on  the  ground  of  my  modest 
morning-dress,  but  the  gentleman  who  in- 
vited me  observed  that  this  question  of  dress 
was  little  attended  to  in  America,  and  I 
yielded  to  his  arguments  and  to  those  of  the 
friend  who  was  with  me,  and  presented  my- 
self before  the  Speaker.  The  Speaker  rose 
from  his  chair,  as  did  all  the  members  pres- 
ent. After  a  few  very  courteous  words,  he 
gave  me  permission  to  visit  the  hall  of  the 
House,  and  as  I  passed  through  the  corridors 
between  the  lines  of  seats,  all  the  members 
advanced  from  right  and  left  to  shake  hands 


SALVINI  AS  "OROSMANE"  IN  THE  "ZAIRE"  OF  VOLTAIRE. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     209 

with  me.  When  I  reached  the  back  of  the 
great  hall  a  crowd  of  the  pages  of  the  House, 
dressed  in  uniform,  surrounded  me  with  little 
note-books  in  their  hands,  belonging  to  the 
congressmen,  and  asked  for  my  autograph. 
I  had  to  write  my  name  two  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  times ;  and,  luckily  for  me,  the 
attendance  that  day  was  not  large !  My 
hand  became  cramped  with  so  many  signa- 
tures, and  Heaven  knows  what  my  callig- 
raphy became  before  I  finished! 


IMPRESSIONS    OF   EDWIN   BOOTH 

THE  celebrated  actor  Edwin  Booth  was 
at  this  time  in  Baltimore,  a  city  distant  two 
hours  from  the  capital.  I  had  heard  so  much 
about  this  superior  artist  that  I  was  anxious 
to  see  him,  and  on  one  of  my  off  nights 
I  went  to  Baltimore  with  my  impresario's 
agent.  A  box  had  been  reserved  for  me 
without  my  knowledge,  and  was  draped  with 
the  Italian  colors.  I  regretted  to  be  made  so 
conspicuous,  but  I  could  not  fail  to  appreciate 
the  courteous  and  complimentary  desire  to 
do  me  honor  shown  by  the  American  artist. 


210  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

It  was  only  natural  that  I  should  be  most 
kindly  influenced  toward  him,  but  without 
the  courtesy  which  predisposed  me  in  his 
favor  he  would  equally  have  won  my  sym- 
pathy by  his  attractive  and  artistic  linea- 
ments, and  his  graceful  and  well-proportioned 
figure.  The  play  was  ''Hamlet."  This  part 
brought  him  great  fame,  and  justly;  for  in 
addition  to  the  high  artistic  worth  with  which 
he  adorned  it,  his  elegant  personality  was 
admirably  adapted  to  it.  His  long  and  wavy 
hair,  his  large  and  expressive  eye,  his  youth- 
ful and  flexible  movements,  accorded  per- 
fectly with  the  ideal  of  the  young  prince  of 
Denmark  which  now  obtains  everywhere. 
His  splendid  delivery,  and  the  penetrating 
philosophy  with  which  he  informed  his 
phrases,  were  his  most  remarkable  qualities. 
I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  see  him  also  as 
Richelieu  and  lago,  and  in  all  three  of  these 
parts,  so  diverse  in  their  character,  I  found 
him  absolutely  admirable.  I  cannot  say  so 
much  of  his  Macbeth,  which  I  saw  one  night 
when  passing  through  Philadelphia.  The 
part  seemed  to  me  not  adapted  to  his  nature. 
Macbeth  was  an  ambitious  man,  and  Booth 
was  not.  Macbeth  had  barbarous  and  fero- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  TOMMASO   SALVINI     21! 

cious  instincts,  and  Booth  was  agreeable, 
urbane,  and  courteous.  Macbeth  destroyed 
his  enemies  traitorously, — did  this  even  to 
gain  possession  of  their  goods, — while  Booth 
was  noble,  lofty-minded,  and  generous  of  his 
wealth.  It  is  ^thus  plain  that  however  much 
art  he  might  expend,  his  nature  rebelled 
against  his  portrayal  of  that  personage,  and 
he  could  never  hope  to  transform  himself  into 
the  ambitious,  venal,  and  sanguinary  Scottish 
king. 

I  should  say,  from  what  I  heard  in  Amer- 
ica, that  Edwin  Forrest  was  the  Modena  of 
America.  The  memory  of  that  actor  still 
lives,  for  no  one  has  possessed  equally  the 
power  to  give  expression  to  the  passions,  and 
to  fruitful  and  burning  imagery,  in  addition 
to  which  he  possessed  astonishing  power  of 
voice.  Almost  contemporaneously  a  number 
of  most  estimable  actors  have  laid  claim  to 
his  mantle;  but  above  them  all  Edwin  Booth 
soared  as  an  eagle. 

After  a  very  satisfactory  experience  in 
Baltimore,  I  returned  for  the  third  time  to 
New  York  and  gave  " Othello,"  " Macbeth," 
and  the  " Gladiator,"  each  play  twice,  and 
made  the  last  two  appearances  of  my  season 


212  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

in  Philadelphia.  After  playing  ninety-five 
times  in  the  new  fashion,  I  felt  myself  worn 
out,  but  fully  satisfied  with  the  result  of 
my  venturesome  undertaking1.  When  I  em- 
barked on  the  steamer  which  was  to  take  me 
to  Europe,  I  was  escorted  by  all  the  artists 
of  the  company  which  had  cooperated  in  my 
happy  success,  by  my  friends,  and  by  cour- 
teous admirers,  and  I  felt  that  if  I  were  not 
an  Italian  I  should  wish  to  be  an  American. 


IN  EGYPT 

AT  the  end  of  May,  1881,  I  landed  at 
Havre,  and  went  on  to  Paris,  where  I  took  a 
good  week  of  rest — relative  rest,  that  is,  for 
in  that  city  it  is  not  easy  to  do  nothing.  I 
did  not  fail  to  frequent  the  Comedie  Frangaise 
to  hear  some  of  those  excellent  society  come- 
dies which  are  played  there  with  so  much 
taste,  delicacy,  and  truth;  and  after  having 
myself  recited  such  a  vast  quantity  of  verse 
during  seven  months,  that  pure  and  beautiful 
prose  appeared  to  me  a  most  savory  change, 
seasoned  as  it  was  with  the  most  delicate 
sauces  and  spices  by  the  most  expert  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     213 

cooks.  When  I  reached  Florence  my  first 
thought  was  to  retire  at  once  to  my  country 
house,  to  enjoy  that  calm  which  one  cannot 
find  except  at  home  and  in  the  bosom  of  his 
family.  However,  offers  of  new  theatrical  en- 
terprises came  to  disturb  my  repose,  and  I 
was  constrained  to  accept  a  proposition  that 
I  should  go  to  Egypt  for  the  months  of 
December,  1881,  and  January,  1882.  I 
formed,  for  these  two  months  only,  an  Italian 
company,  and  on  December  3  I  opened  in 
Alexandria.  Theatrical  methods  there  are 
regulated  upon  the  Italian  principles,  and  it 
is  necessary  to  change  the  play  every  night ; 
so  besides  my  accustomed  tragedies  I  gave 
dramas  and  comedies,  as,  for  example,  "Le 
Lapidaire,"  by  Alexandre  Dumas;  "Fasma," 
by  Dall'  Ongaro;  "La  Calomnie,"  by  Scribe; 
and  "La  Suonatrice  d'Arpa,"  by  Chiossone. 

I  need  not  say  how  much  pleasure  the 
people  of  Alexandria  took  in  these  plays. 
The  Italian  colony  overwhelmed  me  with 
generous  demonstrations,  and  the  Boat  Club 
invited  me  to  name  after  myself  a  new  ac- 
quisition of  their  navy  —  not,  it  is  true,  a 
Duilio.  After  playing  fourteen  times  in 
Alexandria,  we  went  to  Cairo,  and  I  lost  no 


214  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

time  in  visiting  those  tremendous  monuments 
the  Pyramids,  glorious  and  imposing  relics  of 
a  greatness  the  idea  of  which  we  cannot  now 
even  conceive. 


RECEPTION    IN    RUSSIA 

AT  the  end  of  January  I  went  back  to 
Italy,  and  was  invited  to  go  to  Russia.  I  got 
together  fresh  actors  and  actresses,  and  on 
February  24,  1882,  I  presented  myself  on  the 
stage  of  the  Maria  Theater  in  St.  Petersburg. 
I  thus  passed  quickly  from  a  land  of  suffocat- 
ing heat  to  one  of  bitter  cold,  but  changes  of 
temperature  have  never  affected  me  much. 
I  confess  that  when  I  first  entered  that  em- 
pire I  had  a  vague  apprehension,  the  cause 
of  which  I  did  not  fully  explain  to  myself. 
I  had  been  invited  by  the  Direction  of  the 
Imperial  Theaters,  I  came  in  the  quality  of 
a  foreign  artist,  and  no  harm  could  possi- 
bly come  to  me ;  nevertheless,  after  the  vex- 
ations inflicted  by  the  customs  officers  at  the 
Russian  frontier  on  the  members  of  my  com- 
pany, an  indescribable  disgust  developed  in 
my  mind.  My  imagination  is  naturally  fer- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     215 

vid,  and  in  my  fancy  I  saw  the  poor  exiles  in 
Siberia,  the  knout  administered  in  the  public 
streets  to  disrespectful  subjects,  the  tortures 
of  the  prisons,  the  summary  confiscations  of 
the  property  of  the  suspected,  the  arrogance 
of  the  soldiery,  the  extreme  rigor  of  the  laws, 
the  servile  obsequiousness  obligatory  toward 
the  Czar,  the  despotism  of  the  great,  and  the 
extreme  degradation  of  the  humble ;  and  all 
this  seemed  to  me  so  dark  as  in  fact  to  be 
wholly  black.  The  Nihilists  had  only  a  little 
before  laid  their  inexorable  hand  on  their 
prey,  and  all  were  still  palpitating  with  the 
tragic  end  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  II. 
You  can  imagine  how  the  Government  stood 
to  its  arms,  and  how  the  people  constantly 
trembled  with  dread.  The  theater  was  a  per- 
mitted and  innocent  distraction,  and  there, 
freed  from  fear,  and  laying  aside  the  pertur- 
bation of  politics,  the  public  worked  off  its  ex- 
citement in  clamorous  enthusiasm,  sometimes 
to  the  point  of  disturbing  the  course  of  the 
play  and  disconcerting  the  unlucky  actor.  I 
have  never  had  experience  with  a  public  so 
systematically  persistent  in  applause  as  the 
Russian.  After  the  artist  has  gone  through 
a  very  fatiguing  part,  and,  panting,  pros- 


2i6  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

trated,  in  a  bath  of  perspiration,  hopes  to 
be  able  to  retire  to  his  room  to  rest,  he  is 
obliged  to  stand  for  a  full  half-hour,  exhausted 
and  perspiring  as  he  is,  to  receive  the  inter- 
minable ovations  of  the  people  ;  and  he  must 
go  before  the  curtain  fifteen,  twenty,  or  even 
thirty  times.  Not  content  with  that,  they 
wait  for  you  at  the  door,  no  matter  how  long 
you  take  to  dress,  and  stand  in  lines  for  you 
to  pass  between,  begging  a  look  or  a  touch 
of  your  hand ;  and  if  you  live  so  near  by  as 
not  to  need  a  carriage,  they  accompany  you 
on  foot  to  the  door  of  your  lodgings,  with 
open  manifestations  of  sympathy.  The  Rus- 
sian is  courteous,  hospitable,  liberal  to  the 
actor;  but,  like  all  those  whose  enthusiasm 
exceeds  due  bounds,  he  forgets  easily. 

There  have  been  but  very  few  native  artists 
of  celebrity.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Imperial 
companies,  which  play  only  in  St.  Petersburg 
and  Moscow,  are  meritorious,  and  distin- 
guished for  the  smoothness  of  their  represen- 
tations. In  the  secondary  cities  the  artistic 
contingent  is  of  wretched  quality,  and  may 
be  compared  with  the  lowest  ranks  of  our 
own — the  so-called  guitti;  but  the  Rus- 
sian public,  particularly  in  the  provinces,  is 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     217 

amiable,  tolerant,  and  ready,  for  the  sake  of 
amusement  of  any  kind,  to  accept  an  alloy  for 
the  pure  metal.  I  made  twenty  appearances 
at  St.  Petersburg  in  thirty-eight  days,  and 
then  went  to  Moscow,  where  I  gave  eleven 
more  performances.  At  Moscow  the  public 
seemed  to  be  much  calmer,  and,  moreover, 
our  houses  were  much  better.  In  both  cities 
splendid  gifts  were  made  me,  which  I  pre- 
serve as  pleasant  remembrances  of  an  enjoy- 
able experience.  By  the  end  of  April,  1882, 
I  was  again  resting  in  Florence. 


STUDY    OF    "KING    LEAR" 


AFTER  having  given  due  attention  to  the 
interests  of  my  family,  and  fulfilled  my  social 
obligations,  I  employed  my  time  in  polishing 
my  study  of  Shakspere's  King  Lear,  and 
overcoming  some  difficulties  which  that 
character  presented  to  me,  with  the  in- 
tention of  bringing  it  out  in  the  United 
States,  whither  I  had  arranged  to  go  in  the 
beginning  of  October.  My  work  on  that 
day  preoccupied  me  greatly,  and  although  I 
had  brought  it  out  in  a  preliminary  appear- 


218  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

ance  at  the  Teatro  Salvini,  and  it  had  been 
well  received  by  public  and  press,  I  did  not 
feel  entirely  satisfied  with  myself,  and  I  pro- 
posed to  combat  my  difficulties  deliberately 
and  seriously.  I  wished  to  find  the  way  to 
make  some  scenes  more  effective,  while  main- 
taining the  character  in  its  proper  relations. 
It  was  necessary  to  devise  means  for  produc- 
ing effects  with  auxiliaries  different  from 
those  to  which  I  had  been  accustomed,  to 
move  and  interest  the  audience  by  creating 
new  combinations  and  contrasts,  and  by  con- 
juring up  a  type  of  sentiment  in  accord  with 
the  character  and  the  age  of  that  grandiose 
personage.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  was  suc- 
cessful, but  the  greeting  of  the  public  gave 
me  assurance  that  I  made  at  least  some  ap- 
proach to  my  object.  I  was  thus  provided 
with  a  new  play  for  my  third  venture  in  the 
United  States. 

I  played  109  times  in  this  season  as  against 
95  the  time  before ;  moreover,  the  last  six- 
teen representations  of  the  "  Morte  Civile  " 
were  most  lucrative,  since  I  gave  them  in 
company  with  the  famous  actress  Clara 
Morris.  It  is  right  that  I  should  pay  a 
merited  tribute  to  this  excellent  actress;  for 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     219 

one  could  not  wish  for  a  better  interpreter 
of  the  part  of  Rosalia  in  the  drama  I  have 
named.  This  season  was  also  more  brilliant 
than  the  one  before  it,  because  the  rumor  had 
spread  that  I  would  not  come  again  to  North 
America — a  baseless  and  absurd  rumor,  since 
the  financial  results  were  rather  such  as  to 
encourage  me  to  cross  the  ocean  again,  as  in 
fact  they  did.  The  public  was,  however,  so 
fully  persuaded  of  the  sincerity  of  my  alleged 
resolution,  that  several  gentlemen  associated 
themselves  to  offer  me  a  banquet  at  the 
Hotel  Brunswick,  at  which  all  classes  of  New 
York  society  were  represented.  The  distin- 
guished German  actor  Barnay,  who  was  then 
in  New  York,  came  to  the  banquet  after  his 
play,  and  made  a  speech  full  of  kindly  enco- 
mium, which  aroused  sincere  enthusiasm. 

I  again  recrossed  the  ocean,  not  to  rest,  as 
I  might  perhaps  have  been  excused  for  doing, 
after  so  many  and  continuous  fatigues,  but 
to  study  the  part  of  Coriolanus  in  proof  of 
my  unwearied  love  of  my  art,  which  I  have 
always  looked  upon  as  my  second  mother. 
If  in  the  vicissitudes  of  my  life  I  had  not  had 
this  recourse,  I  do  not  know  what  would 
have  become  of  me.  Art  has  always  received 


220  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

me,  restored  me,  protected  me ;  and  if  it  has 
not  been  able  to  make  me  forget  my  mis- 
fortunes altogether,  it  has  mitigated  them. 
I  owe  to  it  my  moments  of  comfort,  satisfac- 
tion, and  joy,  and  now  that  I  am  constrained 
to  abandon  it,  I  do  not  weep,  for  I  have 
never  been  weak ;  but  my  heart  feels  the 
sting  of  bitterness. 

While  I  was  occupying  myself  with  the 
character  of  that  impetuous  but  valorous  war- 
rior, it  was  proposed  to  me  to  go  to  Rome  and 
Trieste,  and  to  play  a  few  times  in  Florence. 
My  fellow-citizens  never  evinced  more  affec- 
tion and  admiration  for  me  than  upon  this  oc- 
casion. At  Rome  my  nine  appearances  were 
greeted  with  hearty  interest  and  enthusiasm. 
At  Florence  the  theater  was  never  large 
enough  to  receive  those  who  wished  to  secure 
entrance,  and  at  Trieste  I  was  overwhelmed 
with  ovations.  The  same  company  went 
with  me  for  a  season  at  Covent  Garden,  Lon- 
don. The  time  of  the  year  was  not  propi- 
tious. At  the  end  of  February  there  were 
very  thick  fogs  accompanying  a  humid  and 
cold  atmosphere,  and  the  heating  arrange- 
ments of  the  theater  were  so  defective  that 
it  seemed  like  playing  in  an  ice-house.  I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     221 

remember  that  on  the  night  when  I  played 
the  "  Gladiator,"  in  the  fourth  act,  when  I 
had  to  fight  in  the  arena  with  nothing  but 
silken  tights  on  my  body,  before  I  went  on 
my  teeth  chattered  with  cold.  At  the  end 
of  that  very  fatiguing  act  the  perspiration 
rolled  from  me  as  in  a  Turkish  bath,  and 
when  I  reached  my  dressing-room  a  heavy 
chill  came  over  me,  from  the  effects  of  which 
I  suffered  long.  The  audience  sat  in  their 
overcoats  and  furs,  the  men  with  their  collars 
turned  up,  and  the  women  with  their  heads 
wrapped  in  shawls  and  hoods.  Our  season 
had  opened  with  excellent  promise,  but  what- 
ever may  have  been  the  public's  love  for  the 
theater,  many  were  constrained  to  stay  away 
in  such  weather  for  fear  of  illness.  I  made 
urgent  complaints  to  my  impresario,  but  the 
evil  was  irremediable.  After  twenty-one 
nights  of  "  Othello,"  "King  Lear,"  "  Mac- 
beth," the  "  Gladiator,"  and  "  Hamlet,"  we 
proceeded  to  Edinburgh,  and  the  weather 
having  become  milder,  our  business  again 
rose  to  its  regular  level.  Our  tour  included 
the  cities  of  Glasgow,  Manchester,  Newcastle, 
Birmingham,  Brighton,  and  Dublin,  and  closed 
with  a  farewell  representation  of  "  Othello  " 
in  London. 


222  LEAVES    FROM    THE 


"  CORIOLANUS 

IT  being  out  of  the  question  to  remain  in 
London,  the  only  city  in  which  a  summer 
season  is  possible,  I  proposed  to  my  company 
that  they  should  continue  at  my  disposition 
at  half  salary  from  the  end  of  May  until 
November  i  of  that  year  (1884),  proposing 
again  to  go  on  the  road  at  the  latter  date. 
They  agreed;  and  on  November  4  we  began 
a  series  of  nine  representations  at  Naples, 
whence  we  went  to  Messina,  Palermo,  and 
Catania,  and  thus  I  ended  the  year,  resolved 
to  confine  myself  for  the  immediate  future  to 
the  study  of  the  banished  and  vindictive  hero 
Coriolanus.  I  felt  that  I  could  divine  that 
character,  which  resembled  my  own  in  some 
ways — not,  certainly,  in  his  warlike  exploits, 
but  in  his  susceptibility,  in  his  spurning  of 
the  arrogance  and  insolent  pretensions  of  the 
ignorant  masses,  and,  above  all,  in  his  filial 
submissiveness  and  affection.  Unfortunately, 
I  was  not  able  to  submit  the  results  of  this 
study  to  the  judgment  of  the  Italian  public, 
as  I  have  done  with  all  my  others,  since  it 
demands  too  costly  a  stage  setting,  and  it  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     223 

impossible  to  secure  in  the  great  number  of  as- 
sistants that  artistic  discipline  without  which 
the  grandiose  easily  merges  in  the  ridiculous. 
I  regretted  this  much,  as  my  compatriots 
would  have  given  me  an  unbiased  and  intel- 
lectual judgment  of  the  work;  but  for  the  rea- 
sons I  have  stated  I  reconciled  myself  to  giv- 
ing it  for  the  first  time  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House  in  New  York,  where,  indeed, 
nothing  was  lacking  for  an  admirable  setting 
of  the  tragedy.  This,  as  my  reader  will  not 
need  to  be  told,  was  the  fourth  time  that  I 
went  before  the  American  public,  on  three  of 
which  times  I  was  supported  by  an  English- 
speaking  company. 

The  close  of  my  artistic  career  approaches, 
and  with  it  the  end  of  the  anecdotes  with 
which  it  has  been  diversified.  The  chief 
object  of  these  memoirs  is  to  make  it  known 
to  any  one  whom  it  may  aid  how  a  young 
man,  without  inherited  resources,  and  con- 
strained to  look  out  for  himself  from  very 
early  years,  can,  by  upright  conduct,  firm  res- 
olution, and  assiduous  effort,  acquire  in  time 
some  renown,  and  the  means  for  enjoying  the 
comforts  of  life  in  his  old  age  without  be- 
ing dependent  on  anybody.  Those  who  meet 


224  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

with  misfortune  owing  to  too  little  applica- 
tion to  study,  or  to  pretensions  out  of  pro- 
portion to  their  deserts,  deserve  indulgence 
indeed,  but  not  compassion.  If  my  example 
can  be  of  utility  to  those  who  are  born  with 
artistic  instincts,  I  shall  have  the  reward  for 
which  I  hoped  in  undertaking  this  sketch  of 
my  life.  Moralizing  is  now  out  of  fashion, 
but  an  example  still  receives  attention,  and 
may  be  of  service.  Art  is  pure,  loyal,  honor- 
able, uncontaminated.  Through  these  virtues 
it  exacts,  commands,  imposes  morality  upon 
whomsoever  places  himself  under  its  aegis, 
and  it  rejects,  condemns,  and  punishes  him 
who  fails  to  respect  it.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  great  artists,  with  rare  exceptions,  are 
moral  and  honorable. 


A  LUDICROUS   APPEARANCE   IN    KHARKOV 

BEFORE  telling  of  my  fourth  visit  to  North 
America,  I  must  narrate  a  rather  strange  ex- 
perience which  I  had  in  the  spring  of  1885. 
A  lady  (I  say  lady  to  distinguish  the  sex) 
made  me  an  offer  to  play  in  Little  Russia 
with  native  actors.  My  knowledge  of  all 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     225 

foreign  languages  is  extremely  limited,  but 
of  Russian  I  do  not  know  a  single  word.  I 
informed  my  would-be  impresario  of  this  dif- 
ficulty, and  she  diminished  my  hesitation  by 
writing  me  that  Italian  was  more  or  less 
familiar  to  all  in  those  regions,  and  particu- 
larly at  Kharkov,  where  there  is  a  university, 
and  that  the  actors  would  do  their  best  to 
cooperate  with  me;  and  she  added  that  she 
would  provide  two  prompters  speaking  the 
two  languages.  Persistence  sometimes  over- 
comes even  avarice,  and  I  allowed  myself  to  be 
seduced  by  her  pressing  arguments.  I  went 
to  Kharkov,  where  the  company  was  as- 
sembled, and  I  was  scandalized  to  behold  a 
theater  entirely  of  wood,  old,  ruinous,  and 
littered  with  the  dirt  of  a  century,  which  was 
enough  to  make  me  shiver.  The  actors, 
except  the  leading  lady,  who  could  recognize 
French  by  sight,  did  not  understand  a  word 
outside  of  their  own  tongue;  there  were 
indeed  two  prompters,  but  the  Russian  knew 
no  Italian,  and  the  Italian  no  Russian.  At  the 
rehearsals  the  two  prompters  made  a  conven- 
tional sign  to  each  other  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  one  upon  whom  it  was  incumbent  to 
speak.  The  actors,  who  were  Russian  pro- 


226  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

vincials,  seemed  not  to  be  in  the  habit  of 
committing  their  parts  to  memory,  for  even 
at  the  last  rehearsal  which  I  made  with  them, 
they  were  not  sure  of  their  lines.  The  un- 
happy prompter  had  to  repeat  a  phrase  two 
and  three  times  to  get  the  actor  to  take  it, 
and  you  can  imagine  what  smoothness  this 
system  produced  in  the  representation.  I  am 
naturally  patient,  and  I  sought  to  inculcate 
into  this  band  of  mountebanks  the  advantages 
of  more  study,  more  exactness,  more  atten- 
tion, and  I  sought  to  furnish  them  with  an 
example  by  never  giving  the  Italian  prompter 
occasion  to  speak;  but  it  profited  nothing. 
The  public  representation  began,  and  the 
audience,  accustomed  to  that  system  of  acting, 
was  not  at  all  disturbed  by  it,  but  seemed  to 
look  upon  it  as  a  surprising  phenomenon  that, 
while  the  murmur  of  the  prompter  formed  a 
constant  accompaniment  to  the  words  of  the 
other  actors,  when  I  spoke  the  murmur  ceased. 
It  seemed,  too,  that  little  attention  was  given 
to  exactness  in  costume,  for  I  noticed  that 
Brabantio  in  " Othello"  wore  short  breeches 
and  shoes  with  buckles,  like  a  priest.  In 
the  "Gladiator,"  instead  of  tunic  and  toga, 
the  lover  came  on  the  stage  in  trunk-hose 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    227 

and  short  Spanish  cloak  of  the  time  of  Philip 
II.  You  can  picture  to  yourself  what  the 
scenery,  furniture,  and  accessories  must  have 
been.  But  the  people  did  not  complain,  and 
did  not  even  criticize.  In  their  eyes  every- 
thing was  admirable,  and  they  gave  vent  to 
the  most  exaggerated  enthusiasm.  During 
the  rehearsals  the  prompters  occupied  stools, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  stage,  but  during  the 
public  performances  both  crowded  into  the 
little  prompter's  box,  which  was  covered  with 
a  hood  of  pasteboard.  On  the  first  night  I 
was  so  much  preoccupied  that  I  thought  of 
nothing  that  did  not  concern  the  course  of  the 
play  itself,  but  on  the  second  I  noticed  those 
two  unfortunates  wedged  in  together,  simply 
melting  with  perspiration,  each  with  one  arm 
out  of  the  box  holding  the  book  of  the  play, 
and  nudging  each  other  at  intervals  to  indi- 
cate whose  turn  it  was  to  prompt;  and,  think- 
ing of  the  Siamese  twins,  such  an  impulse  to 
laugh  came  upon  me  that  with  difficulty  I 
avoided  making  a  scandal. 

The  University  of  Kharkov  is  large  and  of 
much  importance,  and,  as  was  natural,  the 
audiences  were  made  up  in  large  part  of  stu- 
dents. Every  one  knows  the  characteristics  of 


228  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

that  picked  class  of  society,  marked  by  energy, 
enthusiasm,  goodness  of  heart,  and  generous 
tendencies,  compounded  with  thoughtless- 
ness and  disorder.  Especially  in  Russia, 
where  the  students  are  held  in  check  by 
a  rigorous  Government,  which  suppresses 
every  liberal  aspiration,  whenever  an  oppor- 
tunity offers  to  give  rein  to  excitement,  the 
reaction  follows,  and  unbridled  demonstra- 
tions break  out.  I  refer  to  this  because  one 
night  I  had  experience  of  the  consequences 
of  this  condition.  I  do  not  remember  what 
the  play  was,  but  when  I  came  out  of  the 
theater  I  found  a  real  mob  waiting  for  me, 
and  with  deafening  shouts  they  lifted  me  in 
the  air  and  carried  me  above  their  heads  like 
a  balloon  to  my  carriage,  into  which  they 
threw  me  as  if  I  were  a  rubber  ball.  I  may 
remark  that  I  weigh  250  pounds!  As  soon 
as  I  felt  myself  freed  from  their  clutches,  I 
shouted,  "  Whip  up,  driver  ! "  and  the  horses 
broke  into  a  trot;  but  the  crowd  ran  be- 
hind the  carriage  shouting  and  clamoring, 
and  from  time  to  time  I  caught  the  words 
"  Un  souvenir!"  It  was  not  easy  for  me 
to  satisfy  them  at  that  moment,  but  a  happy 
idea  came  to  me.  When  I  reached  my  hotel 
I  remembered  that  I  had  in  my  portfolio  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI     229 

number  of  visiting-cards.  I  took  them  all  and 
threw  them  into  the  most  fervent  group  of 
manifesters,  and  while  these  were  busy  pick- 
ing up  the  cards,  I  had  time  to  get  out  of  my 
carriage  and  rush  into  the  hotel,  happy  in  my 
deliverance.  The  Russians  are  most  lavish 
in  their  gifts,  and  I  brought  away  many  as 
remembrances  of  those  regions,  which  I  have 
not  seen  since.  At  Saratov  and  at  Taganrog 
there  was  no  lack  of  demonstrations ;  but  as 
there  were  no  students,  enthusiasm  did  not 
become  dangerous  to  life,  as  in  Kharkov. 
We  were  to  have  gone  on  to  Kazan,  but  the 
manager  thought  it  good  to  pocket  all  the 
receipts,  and  to  omit  to  pay  the  actors,  who 
justly  refused  to  keep  on  under  these  con- 
ditions. I  gave  a  performance  for  their  bene- 
fit, and  took  my  departure,  leaving  that 
management  of  little  faith  the  richer  by  sev- 
eral thousands  of  francs  on  my  account  also, 
but  very  glad,  nevertheless,  to  get  away 
from  it. 

MISFORTUNES    IN    CALIFORNIA 

FROM  my  journey  to  Russia  I  returned 
to  Florence,  to  await  the  time  of  going  to 
the  United  States,  where  the  season  opened, 


15- 


230  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

as  usual,  in  the  month  of  October.  My  first 
performances  were  in  the  new  Metropolitan 
Opera  House.  There  I  first  produced  "  Cori- 
olanus,"  and  I  was  so  happy  as  to  meet  with 
a  flattering  reception.  After  the  usual  tour 
through  the  chief  cities,  in  February,  1886, 
we  went  to  California.  The  weather  was  un- 
usually severe.  Along  the  line  beyond  Den- 
ver was  erected  an  immense  penthouse  of 
wood,  many  miles  long,  to  carry  over  the 
tracks  the  frequent  avalanches  from  the 
mountains  above.  To  admire  this  Titanic 
work  I  went  out  on  the  platform  of  my  car 
before  we  reached  the  entrance  of  the  snow- 
shed,  and  for  more  than  half  an  hour  I  was 
compelled  to  breathe  the  damp  cloud  of  smoke 
and  steam,  which  was  shut  in  by  the  shed 
and  could  not  escape.  I  say  I  was  forced  to 
breathe  it,  because  in  the  darkness  and  the 
dazed  feeling  produced  by  the  dense  and 
black  atmosphere,  and  the  undulation  of  the 
swiftly  running  train,  I  was  afraid  to  move  for 
fear  of  falling  on  the  rails.  When  we  shot 
out  into  the  light  I  was  as  drenched  as  if  I 
had  been  ducked  in  a  well,  and  I  believe  it  is 
to  this  that  I  owe  the  complete  loss  of  my 
voice  after  our  first  two  or  three  performances 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     231 

in  San  Francisco, — a  thing  which  in  my 
whole  career  had  never  happened  to  me 
before.  It  was  a  most  provoking  accident. 
Everything  promised  us  at  the  outset  a  splen- 
did financial  success, — my  artistic  success 
was  won  already, — when  the  sudden  closing 
of  the  theater,  the  uncertainty  of  the  people 
whether  I  could  go  on  again,  and  the  con- 
temporaneous appearance  of  several  new  at- 
tractions, all  united  to  divert  the  public  from 
us,  and  we  passed  a  week  of  interrupted 
profit  and  unlooked-for  loss.  I  tried  the 
most  heroic  and  disagreeable  remedies,  but 
the  disease  would  not  be  turned  from  its 
course,  and  we  had  to  wait  until  my  vocal 
organs  could  resume  their  sonority.  While  I 
lay  in  bed  trying  to  get  well,  out  of  spirits, 
cross,  and  worried,  not  only  for  my  own  loss, 
but  for  that  of  my  manager,  a  telegraphic 
despatch  came  from  Florence  to  aggravate 
my  trouble  and  grieve  me  sorely.  My  bro- 
ther Alessandro  was  dead.  This  sad  news 
pained  and  depressed  me  so  greatly  that 
when  I  returned  to  the  stage,  not  fully  cured, 
and  afflicted  by  my  sudden  loss,  the  public 
could  not  have  formed  a  very  favorable 
opinion  of  my  artistic  merit.  Certainly  I  was 


232  LEAVES    FROM    THE 

not  in  condition  to  make  the  most  of  what  I 
may  have  had. 

PLAYING    WITH    BOOTH 

FROM  California  we  returned  to  New 
York,  where  I  had  an  offer  to  play  for  three 
weeks  with  the  famous  artist  Edwin  Booth, 
to  give  three  performances  of  ''Othello"  a 
week,  with  Booth  as  lago  and  me  as  Othello. 
The  cities  selected  were  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Boston.  As  the  managers  had  to 
hire  the  theaters  by  the  week,  they  proposed 
that  we  should  give  "Hamlet"  as  a  fourth 
performance,  with  Booth  as  Hamlet  and  me 
as  the  Ghost.  I  accepted  with  the  greatest 
pleasure,  flattered  to  be  associated  with  so 
distinguished  and  sympathetic  an  artist.  I 
cannot  find  epithets  to  characterize  those 
twelve  performances  !  The  word  "  extraor- 
dinary" is  not  enough,  nor  is  "splendid"; 
I  will  call  them  "unique,"  for  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  any  similar  combination  has  ever 
aroused  such  interest  in  North  America.  To 
give  some  idea  of  it,  I  will  say  that  the  re- 
ceipts for  the  twelve  performances  were 
$43,500,  an  average  of  $3,625  a  night.  In 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     233 

Italy  such  receipts  would  be  something  phe- 
nomenal ;  in  America  they  were  very  satis- 
factory. During  this  time  I  came  to  know 
Booth,  and  I  found  in  him  every  quality  that 
can  characterize  a  gentleman.  The  affability 
and  modesty  of  his  manners  rendered  him 
justly  loved  and  esteemed,  not  only  by  his 
countrymen,  but  by  all  who  had  the  fortune 
to  make  his  acquaintance.  For  the  perform- 
ances I  have  described,  the  best-known  artists 
who  were  then  free  were  engaged ;  and  my 
son  Alessandro  played  Cassia  in  "  Othello" 
and  Laertes  in  "  Hamlet"  with  honor  to  him- 
self, as  he  had  also  played  with  credit  in  more 
important  parts  in  the  course  of  my  tour. 
This  still  youthful  actor  was  endowed  by  na- 
ture with  the  gift  of  easily  acquiring  north- 
ern idioms.  He  was  educated  in  German 
Switzerland,  and  had  made  a  thorough  study 
of  German,  which  rendered  the  acquisition 
of  English  easy  for  him.  I  had  sought  to 
influence  him  in  any  other  direction  than 
that  of  the  stage,  but  in  a  few  months  he  ven- 
tured to  present  himself  before  the  New 
York  public  in  a  lover's  part,  in  English,  be- 
side that  able  actress  Clara  Morris,  and  the 
verdict  was  encouraging.  By  degrees  he 


234  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

mastered  the  English  language  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  it  could  not  be  perceived  that  he 
was  a  foreigner.  Nature  bestowed  upon  this 
youth  the  material  of  an  actor.  He  has  a 
good  presence,  a  fine  voice,  a  vivid  imagina- 
tion, and  a  natural  adaptability  to  diverse 
characters.  In  my  opinion  those  best  suited 
to  him  are  the  virile  and  energetic ;  in  the 
languid,  amorous,  and  sentimental  he  does 
not  seem  to  me  so  successful. 


FIFTH    VISIT    TO    THE    UNITED    STATES 

IN  1889  I  accepted  a  fifth  engagement  for 
North  America.  The  actor's  life  in  North 
America  can  be  summed  up  in  three  words, 
"  Theater,  railroad,  hotel."  Very  few  are  the 
cities  in  which  a  stop  of  two  or  three  weeks  is 
made.  Away  from  the  large  centers,  some- 
times theater  and  town  are  changed  every 
night,  with  the  intervening  weariness  of 
packing  and  of  sleeping-cars.  And  in  addi- 
tion there  is  the  infliction  of  the  reporters,  to 
which  you  must  submit,  the  thousands  of 
autographs  from  which  there  is  no  relief,  and 
the  admirers  who  persecute  you.  As  you 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    235 

can  imagine,  at  the  end  of  such  a  season  of 
seven  months  the  actor  is  very  eager  to  tear 
this  shirt  of  Nessus  from  his  back.  But  with 
all  that,  if  I  had  been  ten  years  younger  I 
should  have  returned  thither  ten  times  more. 
One  can  endure  in  America  what  would  not 
be  endurable  in  Europe,  and  especially  in 
Italy.  I  do  not  know  whether  this  is  due  to 
the  air,  or  to  the  material  comforts  of  life, 
or  whether  it  is  that  the  example  of  industry 
animates,  fortifies,  and  spurs  one  on  :  but  it  is 
certain  that  so  continuous  a  strain  in  Europe 
would  prostrate  a  man  in  a  single  year,  while 
in  America,  one  undergoes  it  with  resigna- 
tion and  resists  it  with  courage.  I  will  not 
deny  that  the  anticipation  of  a  satisfactory 
profit  had  some  influence  in  maintaining  my 
vitality,  although  my  strongest  incitement 
came  from  knowing  that  I  was  appreciated 
and  loved. 

"SAMSON" 

IN  October,  1889,  then,  I  found  myself 
again  in  North  America,  and  I  began  again 
the  life  which  I  have  described.  This  time, 
too,  I  was  fortunate  in  the  choice  of  a  play 


236  LEAVES    FROM   THE 

which  I  had  already  given  in  the  United 
States  during  my  first  visit  in  1873  with 
the  Italian  company.  After  seventeen  years 
1  'Samson"  could  be  called  new  to  the  audi- 
ences who  saw  it.  This  play  was  put  on 
the  stage  as  a  great  spectacle.  Scenery, 
furniture,  costumes,  accessories,  all  were 
made  new  for  the  occasion.  The  fall  of  the 
temple  of  Dagon  was  presented  with  so 
much  realism  that  I  feared  every  night  that 
I  should  be  crushed  under  one  of  those 
enormous  blocks  which  fell  on  all  sides  of 
me.  My  son  Alessandro  had  the  stage  man- 
agement, and  he  took  diligent  precautions 
against  a  catastrophe.  Nevertheless,  one 
night  a  block  of  cornice  rebounded,  and  gave 
me  a  bruise  on  the  leg  which  lasted  for 
several  days.  I  was  fortunate  in  having  in 
the  actress  who  played  Delilah  a  most  effi- 
cient coadjutress  in  the  great  success  of  that 
tragedy.  During  seven  consecutive  months 
I  gave  only  three  plays — fl Othello,"  "Sam- 
son," and  the  "Gladiator,"  except  that  in  the 
last  month  I  added  the  "Morte  Civile,"  to  be 
able  to  take  a  little  breath,  and  played  it 
as  a  rest.  I  gave  "Othello"  thirty-six  times, 
"Samson"  thirty-five,  the  "Gladiator" 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI     237 

twenty,  and  the  "  Morte  Civile"  twelve,  —  in 
all  one  hundred  and  three  performances,  all 
requiring  great  expenditure  of  force.  I  need 
hardly  say  that,  as  always,  the  public  showed 
me  appreciation  beyond  my  deserts. 

I  realized,  however,  that  I  should  not  have 
the  courage  to  make  a  sixth  appearance  in 
America  under  those  inexorable  conditions, 
and  I  resolved  to  announce  my  farewell  to  the 
American  people  in  the  papers,  with  expres- 
sion of  my  regret  at  taking  my  leave  of  them 
for  the  last  time.  No  one  would  believe  my 
declaration.  People  adduced  the  example  of 
other  artists,  who  have  used  this  means  to 
swell  their  audiences;  but  to  the  honor  of 
truth  I  can  say  that  I  never  was  under  the 
necessity  of  having  recourse  to  so  puerile  a 
subterfuge.  I  was  induced  to  say  adieu  to 
the  United  States  by  my  fear  of  being  no 
longer  able  to  answer  their  expectation,  for  it 
had  cost  me  too  much  to  hide  the  extreme  fa- 
tigue consequent  on  my  performances  during 
the  season  just  expired.  In  former  years, 
owing  to  my  exuberant  strength,  every  effort 
came  spontaneously;  now  I  felt  that,  to  attain 
the  same  effects,  I  must  make  a  greater  ex- 
penditure of  energy.  As  I  left  that  hospita- 


238  LEAVES   FROM   THE 

able  land  behind,  and  saw  the  great  Statue  of 
Liberty  fade  gradually  from  my  sight,  I  felt  a 
pang  in  my  soul,  and  if  my  eyes  were  dry,  my 
heart  wept.  I  made  a  salute  to  that  country 
whose  people  are  so  full  of  vigor,  industry, 
and  courage,  and  lack  neither  culture,  nor 
understanding,  nor  feeling.  May  the  United 
States  receive  the  salutation  of  a  humble 
artist,  who  while  his  heart  beats  will  feel  for 
that  nation  respect  and  love! 

In  returning  to  Europe  the  thought  con- 
soled me  that  I  left  in  the  land  of  Wash- 
ington an  offshoot  of  my  blood.  My  son 
Alessandro  loves  the  United  States  as  I  do, 
and  can  henceforth  call  himself  half  Ameri- 
can ;  and  I  am  sure  that  with  industry  and 
unflinching  will,  besides  winning  general  es- 
timation for  himself,  he  will  keep  alive  be- 
yond the  ocean  a  sympathetic  memory  of  me. 
In  the  mean  time,  thank  God,  he  represents 
me  worthily,  and  through  him  my  name  is 
still  heard  in  America. 


IAGO 

IN  1890-91  Andrea  Maggi's  company  was 
at  the  Teatro  Niccolini  in  Florence   for  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   TOMMASO   SALVINI    239 

carnival  season.  Maggi  had  played  the  part 
of  Othello  in  other  cities,  and  every  condition 
seemed  to  favor  my  taking  that  of  lago  in 
that  theater,  one  of  those  of  the  highest  re- 
pute in  Italy.  I  accepted,  and  set  to  work  to 
study,  not  the  character,  which  was  already 
impressed  on  my  mind,  but  the  mechanism 
of  the  words,  a  thing  which  for  some  little 
time  had  become  difficult  for  me,  owing  to 
a  defect  of  memory.  It  was  much  harder  for 
me  to  commit  exactly  to  memory  the  precise 
lines  of  the  part  of  lago  than  to  form  a  con- 
ception of  the  personage  and  to  study  out  the 
effects.  As  to  the  last,  the  best  way  to  arrive 
at  many  is  to  seek  for  none.  This  is  not  the 
place  to  make  an  analysis  of  the  character ;  I 
will  only  say  that  every  one  looks  at  it  in  his 
own  way,  and  that  I  have  already  published 
my  view  of  it.  The  "  actor  of  the  classic 
school,"  as  some  impressionists  call  me,  aimed 
to  present  an  example  of  naturalness  in  de- 
livery, while  bringing  into  relief  the  poetic 
beauties  of  the  part,  and  to  effect  this  so  that 
the  verse  form  should  not  obscure  truth ;  and 
it  is  said  that  success  was  not  lacking. 
With  this  interpretation  I  completed  my  tril- 
ogy of  parts  of  the  second  rank,  the  others 
being  Lanciotto  in  "  Francesca  da  Rimini " 


240     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   TOMMASO    SALVINI 

and  Py lades  in  "  Oreste " ;  and  it  was  my 
purpose  with  these  to  demonstrate  that  even 
in  an  inferior  part  it  is  entirely  possible  to 
win  the  consideration  of  the  public. 

It  has  always  been  my  aim  to  overcome 
the  difficulties  of  my  profession.  The  more 
difficult  a  thing  has  seemed,  the  more  firmly 
I  have  set  my  mind  upon  conquering  it.  Not 
a  few  of  the  characters  which  I  have  played 
in  the  course  of  my  long  career  have  aroused 
bitter  criticism,  and  yet  have  been  well  re- 
ceived by  the  public  because  my  interpreta- 
tion has  been  found  accurate.  Others  have 
dated  their  success  from  some  counsel  of 
mine,  which  was  based  on  experience,  and 
for  which  the  author  has  been  grateful  to  me. 
Has  the  collection  of  the  masterworks  of  art 
always  found  in  me  an  interpreter  of  mirror- 
like  truth  ?  No,  I  say.  I  have  sought  to  the 
extent  that  my  limited  abilities  have  per- 
mitted to  penetrate  to  my  author's  ideal,  but 
I  have  the  conscience  to  confess  that  I  have 
not  always  risen  to  the  height  of  my  own 
conception.  I  have  never  had  a  more  severe 
critic  than  myself  in  matters  pertaining  to  my 
art.  As  I  myself  look  at  it,  my  sentiment 
of  blame  is  stronger  than  that  of  satisfaction. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 

Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  priod  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


ID  JUTU372-1PM79 


General  Library 


VB  74964 


